Biotic-H2

Current project

VIP Snapshot

While Australia stands an excellent chance of becoming a global leader in the upcoming hydrogen energy economy, the unfortunate fact remains that most hydrogen is still sourced from fossil fuels.  

In this exciting project, you’ll design the technology and infrastructure to efficiently source hydrogen from renewable food waste streams. 

VIP ChallENG research goals

Throughout this project we will conduct research, solve engineering issues and develop design strategies to sustainably source hydrogen gas from food waste.

The research includes:

  • Creating catalysis that maximises hydrogen production while being stable for extended periods for specific organic reactants 
  • Understanding the chemical makeup of food waste streams and how they may enhance or reduce hydrogen production 
  • Engineering each component of the electrolyser for efficiency and stability 
  • Pre-treatment of food waste streams for optimal use in the electrolyser 
  • Obtaining optimal catalyst morphology on the electrodes 
  • Understanding the composition of each food waste stream to tailor the catalyst for a specific end user (brewery versus distillery, for example)

Research Areas:

  • Catalyst synthesis and design 
  • Electrolysis design and optimisation 
  • Water quality analysis 
  • Analytical chemistry
  • Chemical engineering 
  • Chemical product engineering 
  • Renewable energy engineering 
  • Chemistry 
  • Materials science 
  • Materials engineering 
  • Civil & Environmental Engineering
  • Business
Biotic Hydrofuel

Explore the Biotic-H2 Research Areas

Developing design strategies to sustainably source hydrogen gas from food waste, below are the various aspects you can choose to explore.

We will provide chemical analysis on the various waste streams fuelling our electrolysers, including: 

  • Total organic content determination and chemical speciation for downstream catalysts design 
  • Sulphur and phosphorus speciation and analysis 
  • Develop pre-treatment strategies that best interface with the electrolyser

We will design, synthesise, and characterise catalysts for specific molecules susceptible to electrochemical oxidation, including: 

  • Alcohols from brewery and distillery waste streams 
  • Sugars and organic acids from food waste streams 
  • Electrolyser optimisation and design 
  • Downstream analysis of hydrogen production and conversion of food waste molecules

We will engage with prospective partners to determine their needs, annual waste output and eventual use of hydrogen.