Technology can help with important issues, such as the preservation of natural resources, in addition to bringing solutions for development that do not harm the life of the planet or future generations. And it was with this in mind that the White Martins unit based in the State of Pernambuco, Brazil, completed all the steps to be the first in the country to produce certified green hydrogen. The company responsible for the certification was the German TÜV Rheinland, a world reference in the segment.
The entire process of developing and installing the green hydrogen management system and its respective certification, which went through a rigorous audit process, took about three months. The plant can receive up to 1.6 MW of solar energy, used in the production process. As a result, it can generate up to 156 tons of green hydrogen per year.
This feat makes Brazil stand out from other South American countries as a pioneer. At the moment, the countries that are developing the biggest green hydrogen production projects are: Australia, Germany, Netherlands, China, Saudi Arabia and Chile.
According to Gilney Bastos, president of White Martins, a company that has been producing hydrogen for over a hundred years, decarbonization is a priority in its development plan. “Our expectation is that this is the first certification of many that we intend to have in our region in the coming years. Decarbonization is a priority for the company and we are committed to developing projects that contribute to the energy transition, in line with our mission to build a more productive and sustainable world”.
But after all, what is Green Hydrogen?
Green hydrogen is nothing more than hydrogen gas, important in energy production as fuel, produced from an ecologically sustainable route. It is considered a fuel with a high potential for use in energy generation, because, unlike fossil fuels, the energy use of hydrogen is hardly possible through its combustion, but through an electrochemical transformation, carried out in cells known as fuel cells.
To produce it, an electric current passes through the water molecule through so-called electrolysers and splits hydrogen and oxygen atoms. To use it, fuel cells do the reverse process: hydrogen is mixed with oxygen, producing electricity and water vapor as the only residue.
According to the executive superintendent of the Brazilian Hydrogen Association, Gabriel Lassery, green hydrogen can also be obtained by hydroelectricity and waste biomass. “Given the agricultural power that the country is, there is a lot of waste biomass available for hydrogen production. Brazil also has places where it is possible to find natural hydrogen waiting to be extracted”, he says.
Certification
Certification is essential to guarantee the quality and sustainability of this process. With certification, it is possible to ensure that green hydrogen is produced efficiently and cleanly, using renewable energy sources such as solar or wind, and not fossil sources such as natural gas. In addition, certification also ensures that hydrogen production, transportation and storage processes are safe and sustainable.
Certification is crucial for establishing standards of quality and transparency in the green hydrogen industry, helping to attract investment and promote the growth of this industry. In addition, certification can help increase consumer confidence and encourage the adoption of hydrogen-powered vehicles, energy storage systems and other applications of this clean technology.
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