Using Hydrogen-producing Microorganisms
SK ecoplant has launched a project to produce biohydrogen from organic waste resources such as sewage sludge and food waste.
The company announced on July 27 that it will carry out the Future Hydrogen Source Technology Development Project, a national project proposed by the National Research Foundation under the Ministry of Science and ICT, together with the Korea Institute of Industrial Technology and Yonsei University.
This joint research project is designed to produce hydrogen directly from organic waste resources with high organic matter content, such as sewage sludge and food waste, through a microbial reaction.
Existing technologies first produce methane gas using organic waste resources and then go through a reforming process to produce hydrogen instead of producing hydrogen directly from them. The reforming process requires high-temperature thermal energy exceeding 1000 °C.
SK ecoplant plans to directly produce hydrogen through a fermentation process in which hydrogen-producing microorganisms eat and decompose organic matters. Compared to the past methods, the new method significantly cuts production stages and shorten time required for hydrogen production by more than 20 times.
The competitiveness of this technology lies in its high yields. The current method of directly producing bio-hydrogen shows yields of 50 percent or less compared to its theory. A research team led by Professor Kim Sang-Hyun of Yonsei University succeeded in boosting yields by more than 63 percent by introducing a new process. SK ecoplant plans to raise yields to 75 percent in the future to secure economic feasibility and take the technology to a level where commercialization is possible.
The Korea Institute of Industrial Technology will focus on research on selecting and improving highly efficient hydrogen-producing strains. SK ecoplant will select organic waste resources for hydrogen production and survey the market and patents. It will also lay out a commercialization plan by securing original technology patents and new technologies.