Hydrogen from waste costs the same as diesel fuel

The route taken by NextChem makes it possible to valorise waste that cannot be mechanically recycled or other types of non-recyclable dry waste (so-called secondary solid fuel or Css). In this way, the carbon and hydrogen contained in the waste are recovered through a chemical conversion process into synthesis gas, which is used to produce methanol and hydrogen with a low carbon footprint and no emissions of pollutants into the atmosphere. Thus, methanol can be used as an alternative fuel for sustainable mobility or as a secondary raw material in the chemical and manufacturing industries, while hydrogen can become a crucial ally in industrial processes to decarbonise energy-hungry and hard-to-abate industries. Not to mention the possibility of using it in heavy transport where electrification appears to be a difficult alternative in the short term.

The scheme adopted by Maire's subsidiary thus makes it possible to obtain a circular hydrogen with an all-Italian process architecture and production costs that are around EUR 6-7 per kilogram. And which are very close to those of conventional diesel: in fact, hydrogen has three times the energy content of diesel (one kilogram of hydrogen corresponds to three kilograms of diesel in terms of energy equivalence). Therefore, if one considers the current costs of diesel (around EUR 2 for a kilogram), the outlay associated with the solution devised by Maire does not seem very far removed from that of diesel, energy content being equal.

The group's idea is therefore to ensure that this technology is adopted in industrial areas to be reconverted (from refineries to power stations) so as to scale up the hydrogen economy while containing costs. This is why NextChem is forging alliances with a number of players throughout Italy: from Empoli where, in 2022, the company was awarded by Alia Servizi Ambientali a basic engineering contract for a methanol and hydrogen from waste, to Rome, where the innovative technology of Maire's subsidiary will be at the heart of the capital's future Hydrogen Valley, which will also benefit from Europe's assistance with 194 million in funds from the Ipcei Hy2Use programme promoted by Brussels to push the development of hydrogen.

More recently, Maire was awarded an Epc (engineering, procurement and construction) contract by Eni for the construction of a hydrogen production plant at the Livorno refinery, which will be converted into a biorefinery. The total value of the contract is EUR 123 million and the project is scheduled for completion in 2026. The plant will process natural gas and biogenic feedstocks such as food waste such as cooking oil and animal fats, as well as residues from the agro-food industry, to produce hydrogen, which in turn will be used for the production of biofuels for mobility. In addition, the plant has been designed so that a residual CO2 capture unit can be implemented at a later stage.

Outside the national borders, then, in the United Arab Emirates, but also in Indonesia, the company is designing plants that transform municipal solid waste or locally sourced raw materials into sustainable aviation fuel (Saf or sustainable aviation fuel). While in Louisiana, USA, Saf will also be made from sugar cane processing residues, bagasse and pulp.