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Climate change -

As climate change continues to wreak havoc on the planet, the race is on to find a sustainable alternative to fossil fuels.

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The problem with fossil fuels -

When fossil fuels—such as coal and natural gas—burn, they produce greenhouse gas emissions that cause the planet to warm.

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Hydrogen as an alternative -

One of the main contenders in the race to replace fossil fuels is hydrogen. Hydrogen does not produce carbon dioxide when it burns, which makes it an attractive alternative.

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Until now -

Historically, however, hydrogen has not been a viable alternative because it has been complicated to produce and therefore use at scale.

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Potential solution -

However, scientists on the Japanese island of Hokkaido believe they may have found a solution that involves an unlikely product: cow pats.

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No harmful emissions -

As previously mentioned, hydrogen is an attractive alternative to fossil fuels because it does not produce greenhouse gas emissions when it burns.

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The fuel of the future? -

Indeed, there are widespread hopes that it may be fuel of the future, and that it may be used to heat homes and power vehicles on a global scale.

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Current methods -

However, the current methods used to create hydrogen fuel are problematic. The first involves using the fossil fuel methane.

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Pumping methane -

Hydrogen is produced by pumping methane up from deep underground, in a process that still results in significant greenhouse gas emissions.

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Splitting water -

Hydrogen can also be produced by splitting water using electricity. However, this process is very expensive and is only sustainable if using renewable sources of electricity.

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The Shikaoi Hydrogen Farm -

The Shikaoi Hydrogen Farm is now using a sustainable resource that is available in bucket loads on Hokkaido: manure.

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Vast supply -

Manure is available in vast quantities on Hokkaido: around 20 million tons is generated on the island annually.

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The importance of proper treatment -

If not properly processed, this manure can become a burden on the environment, since it produces methane and negatively affects water quality.

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Establishing a circular economy -

By turning the manure into hydrogen, therefore, the project at Shikaoi aims to supply the local, rural community in a circular economy.

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How it works -

The process works as follows. In a first step, the cows’ excrement and urine is collected from local dairy farms.

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Breaking down the manure -

The waste is then fed into an anaerobic digester at a central facility, where bacteria break it down to produce biogas and a liquid fertilizer.

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Purifying the methane -

The biogas is then purified into methane, and the methane is used to manufacture the end product: hydrogen.

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Current capacity -

As it stands, the hydrogen production plant has a capacity of around 70 cubic meters (roughly 18,500 gallons).

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Onsite fueling station -

This is enough to fuel around 28 vehicles fitted with hydrogen fuel cells per day. This is done using the onsite fueling station.

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Fueling agricultural vehicles -

Although the hydrogen fuel can be used in cars with the right fuel cells, the fueling station has been designed primarily to accommodate agricultural vehicles, such as tractors.

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Other uses -

The cattle-made hydrogen is also stored in cannisters and transported to provide power and heat to other facilities nearby.

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Examples -

Two examples of such facilities include a local sturgeon fish farm and the nearby Obihiro Zoo.

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Challenges -

Although turning manure into hydrogen may sound like a promising solution to the fuel crisis, it is not without its challenges.

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Tricky to manage -

To start with, hydrogen can be tricky to handle, since it needs to be stored in high-pressure tanks as a gas. With a low molecular weight, the gas is prone to leaking.

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Risk of degradation -

There is also a risk that the hydrogen will degrade the metal containers it’s stored in, causing them to become embrittled.

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Flammability -

Finally, hydrogen is easily ignited, which means that the people handling it must take additional safety precautions.

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Adverse climate -

At the hydrogen farm in Hokkaido, the team also faces additional challenges related to the climate of northern Japan.

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Extreme temperatures -

Since temperatures are generally below freezing during Hokkaido’s winters, new technologies are required to produce hydrogen stably.

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Risk of freezing -

Without these technologies, there is a risk that the small amounts of water vapor in the methane will freeze, ruining the production process.

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Final thoughts -

While the idea of using manure to produce hydrogen does sound promising, it may be some time before the solution is rolled out on a mass scale.

Sources: (BBC)

See also: How Japan is recycling food waste back into food

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