Hydrogen Refinery makes carbon negative e-fuels and e-fertilizer from waste

• SAF-from-Waste plant at Farnborough Airport UK, Europe's leading business aviation airport, that processes the mixed waste from food trays from airlines and other mixed waste, and produces RFNBO compliant or Advanced SAF. The plant will produce 10,000 tonnes per annum of SAF or e-SAF from mixed waste. 10,000 tonnes is about 12.5 million litres, 3.3 million US Gallons or 80,000 Barrels.

• Urea-from-Waste plant in Bali Indonesia, that processes non-recyclable plastic waste washed up on beaches and other mixed waste and produces ISO standard 46% N Urea fertilizer. The goal of the BALIWASTE project is to convert plastic and other wastes into 100,000 tonnes per annum of high-quality urea fertilizer for Indonesia farmers. Indonesian is the 6th largest market for fertilizer worldwide. Our waste partner in Southeast Asia, Alterna Verde, is already operating multiple sites in Thailand and the Philippines with their Sustainable Environmental Resource Regenesis System (SERRS). They have identified an 18-hectare site on Bali for the plant, and we are also working with them to install our Plasma Electrolyser System (PES) technology across their other sites and new sites in Asia and Africa.

• Marine Future Fuels from Waste (MFFFW) a UK Government grant funded feasibility study under the Clean Maritime Demonstration Competition (CMCD6) in conjunction with the European Marine Energy Centre (EMEC) located in Orkney, Scotland to investigate how mixed solid waste (MSW) can be used to produce a range of low-carbon and zero emission marine fuels including hydrogen, ammonia, methanol, e-LNG (liquified natural gas or methane).

Drop-in fuels and new energy fuels 

e-fuels SAF, SMD, SMF, e-methanol

e-fuels are also known as electrofuels, eFuels, Power-to-X (PtX), Power-to-Liquids (PtL) and renewable fuels of non-biological origin (RFNBO’s). They are a synthetic alternative to fossil fuels and include synthetic aviation fuel (SAF) and synthetic marine diesel (SMD) that can be used in aircraft and ships without the need to modify the engines or refuelling infrastructure. 

e-fuels differ from biofuels (bio-fuels) that are made by growing crops for fuel.

The European Union RED III Renewable Energy Directive, CBAM Cross Boarder Adjustment Mechanism and ReFuelEU Aviation and ReFuelEU Maritime legislation mandates both the amount of e-fuels that must be used from 2026 and the amount of SAF and SMD that must be renewable fuels of non-biological origin (RFNBO). Hydrogen Refinery e-fuels comply with the RFNBO targets, biofuels do not.

The Hydrogen Refinery technology can also deliver competitively priced hydrogen and hydrogen derivatives such as e-diesel, dimethyl ether (DME), e-LNG, e-methanol and e-ammonia. 

Low-cost Urea and Ammonia Nitrate 

e-fertilizer

Agricultural nitrogen fertilizers such as Urea and Ammonia Nitrate are essential for global food production. The Royal Society estimate that without them, half the world population would starve.  But the production of ammonia, which is the basis for all of these fertilizers, is the most carbon emitting chemical process on the planet, consuming 20% of industrial natural gas output worldwide.
For farmers, the price of fertilizer varies widely because it is linked to the price of natural gas. This makes it very difficult for farmers to plan.
Hydrogen Refinery breaks this link by producing the ammonia from mixed waste instead.

Why the Hydrogen Refinery process is carbon negative 

Waste

Waste processing today is responsible for 4% of global emissions. Most waste is processed in 1 of 2 ways, either dumped in landfill or burned. Landfills create methane emissions, 28x more harmful than carbon dioxide (CO2). Burning waste in incinerators or energy-from-waste (EfW) plants creates on average 1 tonne of CO2 for every tonne of waste burned. 

With a growing global population, the human race is creating more waste. Despite efforts towards recycling, recycling rates remain low and more and more waste is being illegally dumped on land, in rivers and in the sea.
Hydrogen Refinery provides a third alternative to landfill or burning waste, by removing the waste from the environment with zero emissions. This is why the process to produce e-fuels or e-fertilizer is carbon negative, because we avoid the emissions from landfill or incineration and provide a step-up in the waste hierarchy.

What a Waste 3.0
Global Snapshot of Solid Waste Management toward Circularity until 2050

A report from the World Bank Group.

Highlights

• Plastics are 12.5% of MSW globally
• 29% of all plastic waste is mismanaged or 93 million tonnes per annum (tpa)
• Waste collections are close to 100% in wealthy countries like the US, but only 28% in low-income countries
• Globally: 29% waste in landfill, 21% recycled, 20% incineration, 30% illegally dumped or not collected
• Cost to municipal authority: $40-$45 per tonne (pt) basic system, $120 pt advanced waste management systems incorporating recycling and landfill diversion
• Waste management costs already exceed $250bn annually, expected to reach $426bn by 2050
• On average waste management is 6% of municipal budget

"When waste is not managed well, the consequences are far reaching: environmental pollution intensifies, greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions rise, and valuable natural resources are wasted. These threaten public health and the environment and undermine economic development and the livability of cities.

Yet, within the crises lies an opportunity.

By investing in more efficient, inclusive, and sustainable waste management systems, countries can unlock new avenues for economic growth, job creation, and innovation. Improved waste management systems that embrace circular economy principles, where materials are reused and value is retained, can transform waste from a burden into a driver of sustainable development, benefiting both local communities and the global environment.

Solid waste management lies at the nexus of local service delivery, livability, and economic development, and is increasingly central to global environmental sustainability. At the local level, it is essential to public health, environmental quality, climate resilience, and the functioning of cities.

Effective, reliable, and inclusive waste services reduce the spread of disease, prevent contamination of water, soil, and air, mitigate flooding caused by blocked drainage, and support a safe, dignified urban environment. Clean cities contribute to local economic development by enhancing competitiveness and strengthening the overall business environment. As cities transition toward more circular economies, where waste-derived materials are reintegrated into productive use, solid waste management is firmly established as a driver of investment, private sector participation, and job creation.

Globally, how waste is managed has significant implications for climate change, pollution, and the sustainable use of finite natural resources. Open burning and unmanaged organic waste release GHGs including methane and black carbon, which contribute to climate change and deteriorating air quality.

• The Global Methane Assessment identified the waste sector as the third-largest global source of methane, responsible for approximately 20 percent of global anthropogenic methane emissions and prioritized the sector for mitigation action (UNEP and CCAC 2021).
• Inadequate waste systems are also the primary source of plastic waste leakage into rivers and oceans, which severely damages marine ecosystems and threatens livelihoods and biodiversity (World Bank 2022a; 2022b).
Poor waste practices result in the permanent loss of valuable materials, including metals, minerals, and nutrients, undermining efforts to conserve finite natural resources and transition to more resource-efficient economies."