Leftover food can become fuel for your car

At a Brazilian university, organic waste from the canteen already serves as fuel, without even using water. And artificial intelligence helps.

Last Friday (17), the Federal University of Paraná (UFPR) inaugurated a pilot unit for the production of renewable hydrogen at the Polytechnic Center, in Curitiba. The project transforms organic waste from the University Restaurant into clean fuel, without the need to use water in the process.

The initiative results from Copel GeT’s 2023 Public Call, in partnership with R&D Copel-Aneel, and represents an important advance in the national production of green hydrogen — considered one of the most promising energy vectors for the decarbonization of the economy.

The experimental plant uses as raw material food waste produced daily in the campus restaurant, which serves around 14 thousand meals per day. The process starts at anaerobic biodigestion of this waste — which generates biogas — and goes to the so-called “dry catalytic reforming”, a step that converts the biogas into high purity hydrogen, without the need for water.

According to professor Helton José Alves, project coordinator at UFPR, the system can even achieve negative emissions, if the carbon dioxide released is captured and reinserted into the process.

“For the first time we are proving that it is possible to generate renewable hydrogen without harming the environment”, highlights Helton.

The technology also involves gas purification using PSA (Pressure Swing Adsorption), controlled storage and electricity generation through fuel cells, integrated into the university restaurant’s electrical network. The entire system is automated and uses artificial intelligence to optimize production phases.

During the inauguration, an electric bicycle powered by hydrogen was presented, demonstrating the potential of the fuel in urban mobility applications. The team also showed prototypes intended for the production of renewable ammonia and the storage of electrical energy.

Hydrogen, the fuel of the future

Hydrogen (H₂) is the lightest and most abundant chemical element in the universe. When used as fuel, it only releases water vapor as a by-product, with no carbon dioxide emissions. For this reason, is considered one of the main global bets to replace fossil fuels in the industrial, energy and transport sectors.

In Brazil, the topic gained strength with the Low Carbon Emission Hydrogen Legal Framework, which encourages the development of sustainable technologies for the production, transport and use of gas.

O renewable hydrogen has also been gaining ground in the automotive market, especially among trucks, buses and heavy vehicles — segments that require great autonomy and quick refueling — areas where hydrogen stands out compared to electric batteries.

Brands like Toyota, Hyundai and BMW have already developed and continue to develop vehicle projects powered by hydrogen fuel cellssuch as the Toyota Mirai and Hyundai Nexo. In the transport of goods, hydrogen-powered trucks are beginning to be tested in several countries. In Brazil, GWM is already carrying out studies focused on the application of this technology in heavy vehicles.

The UFPR project can contribute significantly to the development of this sector in the country, which has great potential for the production of green hydrogen and the creation of sustainable solutions in mobility and energy.