Qatar Pilot Project Produces Green Hydrogen from Wastewater

Qatar Shell Research and Technology Center (QSRTC) has achieved a significant milestone in the production of green hydrogen through its exploratory research project, HyPEC.

The HyPEC project – which stands for Hybrid Photo-electro Chemical Production – focuses on producing green hydrogen from wastewater. Green hydrogen is defined as hydrogen that is produced using renewable energy sources such as solar or wind.

The project is a collaboration between QSRTC, Texas A&M University at Qatar as the local academic partner, and the National Chemical Laboratories in India as an external academic collaborator. The project is supported by a grant from the Qatar National Research Fund.

Following the completion of initial testing and a proof-of-concept in university labs, a prototype chemical reactor was successfully set up in Qatar Science and Technology Park (QSTP). After completing necessary safety reviews, the pilot programme successfully produced green hydrogen from wastewater and sunlight.

Dr. Lina Rueda from QSRTC, commented, “Despite facing significant disruptions due to the pandemic and technical challenges inherent in this novel research area, the HyPEC team’s dedication and persistence have enabled continued progress. The project has seen promising breakthrough and we look forward to developing the project further.”

The HyPEC project is now in its pilot phase, and actively producing green hydrogen. This achievement marks a significant scale-up of the technology and supports Qatar Vision 2030.

Dr. Konstantinos Kakosimos, Associate Dean for Graduate Studies and Professor at Texas A&M at Qatar, said, “The HyPEC project is another successful story of industry-academic collaboration. It underscores the power of collaboration, innovation, and environmental responsibility.”