Projex solutions are one of six partners (The Agricultural and Horticultural Development Board, Beta Technology, Duynie, the University of Leeds and a commercial unit in North Yorkshire) involved in an exciting new project which has been granted funding by Defra/UKRI. The partners have a combined expertise in multi-disciplined engineering design, livestock farming, sustainable animal feed and smart agricultural systems. The project, which launched on the 1^{st of} October, looks to harness pig waste into a renewable energy source, reducing its environmental impact.

The agricultural industry is a large contributor to ammonia emissions entering the atmosphere and can negatively impact biodiversity through nitrogen accumulation on land and acidification of water courses. This project will create a more sustainable livestock industry within the UK, reducing environmental impacts through the reduction of ammonia and using the ammonia which would have previously been discarded to create hydrogen a renewable energy resource. This generation of green ammonia and its subsequent conversion to hydrogen from agricultural waste streams, delivers valuable products used to decarbonise power and transportation.

Project Leader Richard Cinderey of Beta Technology explains: “Harvesting ammonia from livestock waste not only reduces local environmental impacts but provides an exciting opportunity to contribute to reducing climate change. The government’s ‘Ten Point Plan for a Green Industrial Revolution’ promotes the growth of low carbon hydrogen as part of the move towards net-zero by 2050. Ammonia is a carbon-free molecule with a high weight fraction of hydrogen making it an excellent candidate for its storage and transportation.”