bdnews24.com :
Bangladesh is exploring ways to transform over 227 million tonnes of annual waste into environmentally friendly hydrogen fuel in a bid to ease the government’s waste management woes.
Scientists say, it is possible to produce 18.22 million tonnes of hydrogen which can significantly reduce the country’s energy import bill, which currently stands at Tk 614.77 billion.
The plan emerges when the Local Government Division and Department of Environment face difficulty in waste management. It will decrease the import cost of fuel, which is Tk 614.77 billion at present, the scientists believe.
The world faces a financial loss worth $2.42 billion due to air pollution every year, according to a World Bank report.
Use of hydrogen as an alternative to fuel such as petrol, diesel, and octane will reduce the loss, the scientists say. Hydrogen will fulfil 30 percent of fuel demand around the world in 2050, according to World Hydrogen Council.
Therefore, countries including North Korea, Germany, Japan, England and Australia opted for hydrogen as an environment-friendly fuel.
Bangladesh, too, has opted for the technology and already initiated a pilot project on hydrogen power plant. The hydrogen energy research project worth Tk 480 million began research in 2017 and is likely to produce hydrogen from 2021.
The scientists are planning to produce 5 megawatts of power from the hydrogen produced in June next year to meet the demand for the research plant and later supply it to the national grid.
How to produce hydrogen Bangladesh produces more than 227 million tonne of waste every year, causing difficulty for the local government to manage it. The environmentalists, too, are worried about the use of polythene. Poly waste, household waste, natural waste like twigs, leaves and natural water can be used in producing hydrogen, believe the scientists in hydrogen lab.
Hydrogen will be produced in liquid and gas from urban biomass through photo catalisation. It will meet parts of the gas demand in the country. It is possible to produce 0.08 kg hydrogen from a kg of biomass, said Salam. The price will be around three dollars per kg, he said.
On the other hand, 0.10 kg hydrogen can be produced from a litre of water through photocatalysis which will cost from two to eight dollars per kg, he said.
