Metacon’s wholly owned Greek subsidiary, Metacon SA, has secured €188,018 in European Union funding for its participation in PUREHY2+, a project aimed at developing an integrated system to produce high-purity hydrogen from biogas while capturing carbon dioxide at the production site, FCW reported.
The project seeks to help existing biogas plants diversify their output by converting biogas derived from organic waste into renewable hydrogen. Thousands of facilities across Europe already produce biogas, and the proposed technology could enable them to add a higher-value product while expanding the use of locally available renewable energy.
PUREHY2+ aims to develop a system capable of producing hydrogen with a purity exceeding 99.97%, suitable for fuel cells, while separating carbon dioxide for capture during the process.
The project has a total budget of €1,626,622 and will run for 36 months. Metacon’s share of the budget is €235,022, of which €188,018 will be covered by public funding, representing an 80% funding rate.
For Metacon, participation in the project will support further development of its proprietary reforming technology, gas purification systems and system integration capabilities. The company will also explore how these technologies can be incorporated into existing biogas infrastructure, potentially enabling distributed renewable hydrogen production without depending entirely on new, electricity-intensive production facilities.
The initiative follows the completion of the earlier PUREHY project, under which the same consortium developed and evaluated Greece’s first semi-pilot unit for producing and purifying hydrogen from biogas on site.
Installed at BIOGAS LAGKADA, the unit can produce one normal cubic metre of hydrogen per hour through biogas reforming, achieving a purity level above 99%. PUREHY2+ will build on this work to develop a more integrated and adaptable system for biogas producers.
The new project brings together Metacon, research centres NCSR Demokritos and CERTH/CPERI, and biogas producer BIOGAS LAGKADA. It will examine two hydrogen production pathways: biomethane reforming and dark fermentation using cyanobacteria. Hybrid membrane and sorbent technologies will be developed to purify the resulting gas streams and capture carbon dioxide.
Commenting on the project, Metacon President and CEO Christer Wikner said existing biogas plants already had access to valuable renewable feedstock and established production infrastructure. He said the company saw potential to use these assets for producing high-purity green hydrogen and capturing renewable carbon dioxide on site.
Wikner added that the project would allow Metacon to advance its technology towards an integrated system solution for existing biogas producers and the wider hydrogen market.
