Hyundai Motor Group announced that it will start producing clean H₂ using biogas generated during a food waste treatment process. The effort will help support the establishment of a green H₂ ecosystem.

The group signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on August 29 at the Hyundai Engineering  Construction (Hyundai E&C) office in Jongno-gu, Seoul, attended by officials from Hyundai Motor Company, Kia Corporation, Hyundai E&C and the Sudokwon Landfill Site Management Corporation (SL Corp.).

The agreement aims to demonstrate a system that can produce 216 kg/d of green H₂ by utilizing biogas produced by the SL Corporation over the next two years. This is enough to charge more than 34 units of NEXO, Hyundai Motor’s H₂ fuel cell electric vehicle.

High-purity H₂ production is possible through refinement and reforming processes. Fermentation of food waste produces biogas, primarily methane. The resource-circulating H₂ production technology is gaining attention for generating renewable energy sources from waste materials, embodying the waste-to-energy concept of H₂ production.

Under the agreement, Hyundai Motor and Kia will establish an integrated system for the catalytic reaction process, Hyundai E&C will be in charge of developing gas selection separation technology in the H₂ production process, while the SL Corp. will study biogas pretreatment technology and provide research sites and facilities, including biogas, a raw material for H₂ production.

The group plans to promote green H₂ production capabilities while also researching renewable synthetic fuel (eFuel) production technologies. It also plans to secure technologies to apply recycled synthetic fuels that can be obtained additionally in the H₂ production process to existing internal combustion engine vehicles.

In addition, it plans to take a step closer to achieving its ultimate carbon neutrality goal by developing a technology that synthesizes clean H₂ and carbon monoxide, eventually generating renewable plastic materials.

The SL Corp. expects the agreement to achieve the Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) and provide conditions to stably secure clean H₂ needed to implement the 10th Basic Plan on Electricity Demand and Supply.

“Through this agreement, we intend to conduct in-depth research and demonstrate resource-circulating energy technologies to achieve carbon neutrality,” said Seung Hyun Hong, Head of Materials Research and Engineering Center at Hyundai Motor and Kia. “We are committed to leading the industry as a global carbon neutrality leader by developing high value-added technologies, such as eFuel and renewable plastic interior materials production, in the future.”