Metacon's Greek subsidiary Metacon SA has received EU funding for its participation in the PUREHY2+ project, which targets high-purity green hydrogen production from biogas.
The project targets an integrated system solution that can enable biogas producers to add high-purity hydrogen production while capturing carbon dioxide on site. Effectively for Metacon, €188 018 is covered by the EU grant.
Biogas is already produced from organic waste at thousands of sites across Europe. Refining the biogas into high-purity green hydrogen could give existing biogas plants an additional high-value product and extend the production and use of locally available renewable energy sources beyond electricity and biomethane. The project PUREHY2+ will develop technology designed to produce hydrogen at a purity above 99.97%, with carbon dioxide separated for capture during the process. The project has a total budget of €1 626 622 and will run for 36 months. Metacon’s project budget is €235 022, of which EUR 188 018 is covered by public funding, corresponding to a funding rate of 80%.
For Metacon, the project supports the continued development of its proprietary reforming technology, gas purification and system integration capabilities. It also addresses how the company’s technology can be applied in existing biogas infrastructure, creating a potential route to distributed renewable hydrogen production without relying solely on new electricity-intensive production capacity.
The project builds on the completed PUREHY project, in which the consortium developed and evaluated Greece’s first semi-pilot unit for on-site hydrogen production and purification from biogas. Installed at BIOGAS LAGKADA, the unit can produce 1 Nm³/hr of hydrogen through biogas reforming, with a purity above 99%. PUREHY2+ will take the work further towards a more integrated and adaptable solution for biogas producers.
“Biogas plants already have access to valuable renewable feedstock and established production infrastructure. We see great potential in how these assets can also be used to produce high-purity green hydrogen and capture green carbon dioxide on site. For Metacon, the project is an opportunity to advance our technology towards a new enabling system solution for existing biogas producers and the wider hydrogen market,” said Christer Wikner, President and CEO of Metacon.
PUREHY2+ (ΕΚΠΑΡ02-0081456) brings together Metacon, the research centres NCSR Demokritos and CERTH/CPERI, and biogas producer BIOGAS LAGKADA. The project will investigate two hydrogen production routes: biomethane reforming and dark fermentation using cyanobacteria. Hybrid membrane and sorbent systems will be developed to purify the resulting gas streams and capture carbon dioxide.
The project is co-funded by the EU under the 'Competitiveness' Programme (ESPA 2021–2027). Public expenditure is co-financed by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and Greek National Funds.