Producing biohydrogen for the UK transport sector

Following Phase 1 success, the BDC and ten partners were awarded £5 million in Phase 2 funding for the H2Boost project through the Net Zero Innovation Portfolio (NZIP), delivered by the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero.

The BDC-led H2Boost project achieved a UK first — successfully producing hydrogen at scale through a biological process while simultaneously capturing carbon dioxide. This achievement marked a significant step forward in supporting the country's net zero ambitions.

Funded by the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero's £1 billion Net Zero Innovation Portfolio (NZIP) under the Hydrogen BECCS Innovation Programme, the project received £5 million in Phase 2 funding and brought together a consortium of academic and industry partners, including the University of Leeds, Qube Renewables, Aardvark EM, Cyanocapture Ltd, AB Agri, NNFCC, and CM90 Ltd.

H2Boost demonstrated a viable, multi-step process for producing biohydrogen from organic waste. Pre-treated feedstocks, including green waste, food waste, and soiled card and paper, were converted into biohydrogen through dark fermentation at The Maltings, a food waste processing facility in South Milford, North Yorkshire. A demonstration biohydrogen production system was built and operated on-site. At lab scale, secondary feedstocks such as cosmetics waste and insect frass were also assessed for future potential.

Crucially, the process captured and reused all by-products. Fermentation residues generated additional energy through anaerobic digestion, while cultivated algae and bacteria captured carbon emissions.

Our role spanned project management, lab and 10L continuous trials, alternative feedstock and enzyme testing, policy and regulatory considerations, and industry-facing workshops.
As Penny Cunningham, Programme Operations Manager, noted: "demonstrating integrated hydrogen production with carbon capture represented a significant technical breakthrough, with clear promise for large-scale sustainable energy solutions."

Low-carbon hydrogen technologies are expected to contribute up to 35% of the UK's energy needs by 2050, making H2Boost's proven process a vital building block in that transition.