What
The first industrial reactor for supercritical water gasification, a technology that converts organic waste streams into CO2-neutral energy carriers.
How
Sanicro® products are being used by Dutch SCW Systems in gasifiers that turn organic waste into fossil-free hydrogen and green methane. Learn more about high-performance materials.
Sanicro® is our family of nickel alloys and high-alloy austenitic stainless steels, suitable for a range of wet-corrosive environments and high-temperature applications. The material used by SCW Systems is an austenitic stainless steel with high-temperature properties, characterized by its high structural stability, creep strength, and oxidation resistance.
The first four gasification reactors were installed by SCW Systems using the specialized Alleima materials in spring 2021.
Why
While hydrogen is a hugely promising alternative energy source for the future, there’s a hitch. Most of today’s hydrogen is made from methane and therefore not sustainable.
Dutch SCW Systems uses the fourth natural phase of water — known as the supercritical water phase — to split molecules to an almost-atom level. In this phase, organic substances, like sewage, become soluble, while the water becomes a solvent for organic components and a catalyst for the conversion reactions. As a result, the energy stored in the organic components is rapidly turned into gas. From this, gas components such as hydrogen and green methane can be stored and used in the existing gas infrastructure.
Using waste to create hydrogen is a renewable process that could lead to reduced reliance on fossil fuels – in the Netherlands, and across the globe.