United Utilities hosts world-first trial converting sewage biogas to hydrogen

United Utilities has partnered with climate tech company Levidian on a world-first project to convert sewage biogas into hydrogen and graphene.

Supported by the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero’s Hydrogen BECCS Innovation Programme, Levidian’s LOOP device uses electromagnetic waves to split methane gas into hydrogen and carbon, capturing the carbon in solid form as graphene.

The lower carbon blend gas is fed into United Utilities’ onsite generator where it is burned to help power the Davyhulme site in Manchester where the trial is based. The hydrogen has potential uses as a clean industrial fuel, in zero carbon transport such as clean heavy goods vehicles, or blended into the gas network for domestic heating and cooking. The graphene produced has a multitude of use cases, from extending the life of tyres and driving down the carbon footprint of concrete, to boosting the performance of batteries and solar panels.

Levidian aims to produce the cheapest hydrogen anywhere in the world by simultaneously producing high-value graphene. The partners’ research suggests UK sewage waste could produce 75,000 tonnes of hydrogen per year – enough to power over 40% of all bus and coach journeys. 

Tom Lissett, bioresource and green energy director at United Utilities, said: “We’re actively talking to partners across the North West about the role we can play in decarbonising the region and this is a great example of where we could make a positive contribution. We currently inject some of the biogas we produce into the gas network and we’re exploring how we can support the development of the hydrogen network in the region.”

John Hartley, chief executive of Levidian, said: “Hydrogen is set to play a critical role in meeting the UK’s legally binding commitment to achieve net zero by 2050, but is currently being held back due to the cost of production – an issue we hope to unlock here in Manchester as we continue to scale our LOOP technology to industrial levels.”