Skip to content Accessibility statement

Biorenewables Development Centre awarded further funding to research biohydrogen production for the UK transport sector

News

Posted on Tuesday 15 August 2023

The Biorenewables Development Centre (BDC), a subsidiary of the University of York, has been awarded £5m to lead the development of biohydrogen for the transport sector.
Researcher in the Biorenewables Development Centre

The funding, from the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, will contribute to the decarbonisation of the passenger and long-haulage transport sector - which contributed to 16% of domestic greenhouse gas emissions in 2019.

Sustainable

It follows on from Phase 1 of the H2-Boost project and aims to produce biohydrogen through advanced pre-treatment of bio-based feedstocks, fermentation, microbial analysis, and the processing of by-products via anaerobic digestion, microbial CO2 capture and storage.

This multi-step process aims to create a biofuel that is financially viable and environmentally sustainable.

Opportunity

Dr Deborah Rathbone, Bioscience Innovation Team Manager, at the Biorenewables Development Centre said: “We are pleased to be awarded Phase 2 funding to further develop biohydrogen for the UK transport sector.

“Working with our partners, we have a real opportunity here to make a difference as the H2Boost objectives align with the UK ambition of reaching net-zero by 2050 with low carbon hydrogen-based technologies providing up to 35% of energy requirements.”

Led by the BDC, this next phase of the project will take place over the next twenty months, working with colleagues at the University of Leeds, Greenthread Solutions, QUBE Renewables Ltd, Aardvark EM, CM 90 Ltd, CyanoCapture, The Maltings Organic Treatment Ltd, NNFCC The Bioeconomy Consultants, AB Agri and WSP.

Research newsletter

Our monthly research newsletter features a curated mix of news, events, and recent discoveries delivered straight to your inbox.

Sign up

Explore more news

News

2 April 2026

In one of the largest releases of its kind, almost 16 million records have been made available online - chronicling the personal tragedies and everyday lives of Yorkshire people across nearly seven centuries.

News

1 April 2026

The University of York’s key community partner, York Cares, has been selected by Lord Mayor Elect, Cllr Margaret Wells, as her official charity for the year ahead.

News

31 March 2026

Scientists at the University of York have cracked a 40-year-old biological cold case by revealing how the parasite that causes Sleeping Sickness stays one step ahead of the human immune system.

News

26 March 2026

A University of York academic has been appointed to the panel of a public inquiry investigating the violent confrontation between police and striking miners at Orgreave coking plant in South Yorkshire in June 1984.

News

26 March 2026

Early hunter-gatherers across Northern and Eastern Europe developed complex culinary tastes and were expert botanists and creative cooks, a new study has revealed.

Read more news