Around 90 percent of the work of the country’s first hydrogen fuel production plant has already been completed, which is expected to start its operation by June next year.
As such, it is a low-carbon, versatile fuel that can be used in cars, trucks and trains, industries, homes and generate the power needed for industrial processes such as steel production at a low cost compared to the cost of fossil fuel, experts said.
Bangladesh Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (BCSIR) has set up its first hydrogen energy laboratory with a small hydrogen production plant in Chattogram. It will produce hydrogen by converting household waste and water into highly combustible fuel through a process known as biomass gasification and electrolysis of water, respectively.
The plant is expected to play a key role in the Bangladesh hydrogen industry and set a key R&D milestone that will help develop hydrogen plants on a large commercial and industrial scale.
Md Abdus Salam, project director and Senior Principal Engineer of the BCSIR, told Bangladesh Post, ‘Hydrogen can be produced from fossil fuel, water, biomass, nuclear power and renewable energy. We have taken initiative to make hydrogen from biomass and water in the context of Bangladesh. The biomass plant has already been in operation. Another plant, where hydrogen will be produced from water, is also nearing completion.
‘It is better than fossil fuel but we need to overcome the technology. However, we cannot do it in a day. We need time, research and development along with built-up international relationships,’ he said.
The government has approved the project in 2019. However, it was quite a delay due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Under the research project, it is possible to produce 5 kg hydrogen per day from water-based plants and 1.5 kg hydrogen from biomass plants.
Salam said that one kg of hydrogen could be generated from 2.3 gallons of water using electrolysis technology. It needs around 30-33 units of electricity to produce one kg of hydrogen and its production cost is around taka 850.
A car can run around 131 kilometers using one kg of hydrogen. If it runs the same distance using traditional fuel, the cost will be around taka 1150 on average. Moreover, the price of fossil fuels is increasing. But the hydrogen price will continue to come down. On the other hand, the cost of fossil fuels will be much higher considering the financial consequences of environmental pollution.
‘Some 0.87 kg hydrogen can be produced from 20 kg biomass worth around taka 900. However, if the byproducts produced during the production of hydrogen were used, the cost would be reduced by about half. But due to some limitations of our laboratory, it is not possible to do so at present,’ he added.
The Project Director said, “We have just introduced the new fuel in our country at a limited scale. Now the government and industrialists have to come forward so that further progress can be made in setting up more hydrogen plants. Besides, the new policy of the government has to be formulated. It is possible to expand quickly if the hydrogen generating equipment is duty-free. Its production cost will also be greatly reduced.”
“There is ample scope for use of hydrogen in various fields including transportation, industry and others. Baseload power plants in our country often produce excess electricity than demand which is wasted. This electricity can be used to produce hydrogen and store it for later use. We also import huge quantities of fuel oil and LNG every year. If we can increase the production of hydrogen, oil imports will decrease,” Salam said.
Hydrogen is an energy carrier that can be used to store, move, and deliver energy produced from other sources. It is becoming more popular all over the world as an environment-friendly alternative to fossil fuels. The raw materials required, such as biomass and water, are readily available in Bangladesh. The annual waste generation in the cities is estimated at 22.4 million tons. So, hydrogen fuel could play a big role in the future like renewable energy, the expert said.
According to The Economist, there are more than 350 projects running on hydrogen in the world. It is expected that the total investment will be $500 billion in this sector by 2030. Hydrogen is currently sold at $150 billion a year, which is likely to reach $600 billion by 2050.
According to the World Bank, the annual loss due to air pollution is $2.42 billion. Increasing the use of hydrogen as an alternative to fossil fuels will reduce the risk of pollution.
Japan and Korea are moving ahead with plans to generate the maximum fuel from hydrogen by 2030. UK government plans to deliver 5GW of hydrogen production capacity by 2030, estimating that the industry could be worth £900m and support more than 9,000 jobs by the same date.