Japan turns cow pats into hydrogen to produce 18,500 gallons of clean fuel
A Japanese town has discovered a method to convert cow manure into hydrogen fuel, which can power vehicles such as cars and tractors. Situated on one of Japan’s Northern islands, Hokkaido, the raw material is in abundant supply given the region’s thriving dairy industry.
This part of Japan accounts for around 20% of the nation’s landmass and produces around 50% of its milk and dairy products. However, one of the dairy industry’s most problematic waste products, cow manure, could soon become a valuable resource.
Hydrogen holds promise as a sustainable future fuel because it emits no carbon when burned. This makes it a highly attractive alternative to fossil fuels.
If hydrogen production can be scaled up, it could provide clean fuel for any vehicle with a combustion engine. However, the most common way to make it is to use methane as a raw material.
Cow pats to hydrogen gas
Typically piped from underground reserves, methane is, technically, a fossil fuel. Another method involves splitting water into its constituent parts using electricity. While more sustainable than using methane, this process is very energy-intensive and is only sustainable if renewable power sources are used.
On the other hand, Japan’s innovative Shikaoi Hydrogen Farm has been designed to use cow manure waste products for the same task. With over 20 million tonnes produced yearly, cow manure will not run out soon.
This is beneficial not only as a potential hydrogen fuel source but also because treating it as a resource will provide additional benefits to the region.
If not properly treated, cow manure can impact the environment by releasing significant amounts of methane gas.
It can also dramatically reduce water quality if leached into water courses. “This project to produce hydrogen from livestock manure originated in Japan and is unique to this place,” Maiko Abe from Air Water, one of several companies involved in the hydrogen farm project, told the BBC.
“Shikaoi accounts for 30% of Hokkaido’s cow waste and urine, so it has great potential for renewable energy,” he added. The facility was first opened in 2015 by Japan’s Ministry of the Environment, and it aims to convert agricultural by-products into hydrogen to supply the local, rural community in a circular economy.
Money for old rope
Cow manure (and urine) are fed into a large anaerobic digester at a central facility to make hydrogen fuel. Bacteria are introduced to break down organic waste and produce biogas and liquid fertilizer.
This results in the production of biogas, which can then be purified into methane for further refinement into hydrogen gas. According to reports, the facility can produce 70 cubic meters (18,500 gallons).
It has an on-site fuelling station that can fill around 28 vehicles fitted with hydrogen fuel cells per day. While the fuel can be used by cars, its primary aim is for agricultural vehicles like tractors and forklift trucks.
Excess hydrogen can also be stored in canisters, which can be transported to other facilities for fuel, such as a local sturgeon fish farm and the nearby Obihiro Zoo.
Japan also has similar projects in Fukuoka that can transform human sewage into hydrogen for zero-emission municipal vehicles, including garbage trucks. Despite high production costs and storage difficulties, these projects showcase a promising circular economy model that turns waste into renewable energy.