Hydrogen for Water: Advancements in Green Hydrogen Production from Wastewater

By omnia gamal On Jul 9, 2025 249 0

Contents

1 Mechanisms of hydrogen production from sewage sludge

2 Advantages of hydrogen production

3 Challenges of hydrogen for water production

4 The economic aspect of H2 production

5 Case study: Production of green hydrogen Veolia’s commitment

5.1 –Innovative Hydrogen Production from Biogas

5.2 Recycling CO2 and Supporting Ecosystems

5.3 Expertise in Green and Blue Hydrogen

5.4 Innovative Technologies for Sustainable Solutions

6 Future of Green Hydrogen from Wastewater

7 Conclusion

8 Reference

The use of renewable energy in water electrolysis to produce green hydrogen for water presents a promising path toward decarbonization across various sectors. By 2050, it’s estimated that renewable energy will account for 86% of global power generation, yet up to 40% of this energy may be wasted due to its intermittent nature. The power-to-hydrogen (P2H) system offers a flexible solution to convert excess renewable energy into green hydrogen (H2), with over 400 P2H projects planned, primarily in Europe. However, to limit global warming and achieve climate neutrality by 2050, electrolyser capacity needs to increase significantly. Notably, about 30% of these projects are in regions facing rising water scarcity, where the demand for water is expected to grow by 154% by 2050, highlighting the importance of hydrogen for water in these areas.

Mechanisms of hydrogen production from sewage sludge

The H2 can be produced using various methods like biological, electrical, thermal, or photonic, and the as generated fuels could be employed as transportable energy storage. Biological production of H2 involves the use of microorganisms, electrochemical involves the usage of electricity to carry out reactions, and thermochemical employs high temperature chemical reactions.

Advantages of hydrogen production

-Co-located hydrogen production at WWTP sites could act as a catalyst for hydrogen hub developments. The capacity to offer sustainable hydrogen for a competitive price could promote more rapid growth of hydrogen hubs with the secure demand for oxygen from WWTPs, essentially subsidizing the cost of hydrogen production.

-Co-located hydrogen production at WWTPs could support the regional and national government goals as many countries plan to achieve their respective net-zero emissions targets. Thus, the green hydrogen sold by these plants can have a positive impact on the development of green hydrogen infrastructure.

-Alternative approach to gain project funding in geographies with pure water scarcity: Many countries face water-related issues during the year which hinder the development and deployment of green hydrogen infrastructure in these regions. Thus, the utilization of treated wastewater can be an effective strategy to prove the feasibility of the green hydrogen projects.

-Selling hydrogen and oxygen would generate new revenue streams as the demand for these products spans across industries.

Challenges of hydrogen for water production

There are additional energy requirements for water purification in distilleries and wastewater treatment plants to make the water suitable for use in the available electrolyser technologies and operate at higher efficiency of hydrogen production. Although this hydrogen production pathway is still in its initial phases of testing, the investments made for this hydrogen production method will be beneficial in addressing the green hydrogen production targets based on the National Hydrogen Plans of many countries.

The economic aspect of H2 production

Generally, the economic assessment is critical for assessing the feasibility of the processes or product design by providing information on the investment requirement. The H2 production has attracted considerable attention at the laboratory and pilot scales due to its sustainable features and exceptional productivity. However, the feasibility of scaling H2 production at the industrial scale is not well explored.

Case study: Production of green hydrogen Veolia’s commitment

From the production of hydrogen from biomethane or via electrolysis at its waste to energy sites, using the excess electricity generated by waste to energy conversion to dissociate oxygen and hydrogen molecules from water, Veolia is committed to developing these new sources of low carbon energy on a regional scale as part of a circular economy and the preservation of resources. Green gases can replace fuel for heavy vehicles or be used in heating networks and industrial boilers, with the result that the chemical and steel industries are on the road to decarbonization.

–Innovative Hydrogen Production from Biogas

An example? Veolia produces hydrogen from biogas produced from sewage sludge and uses it as a fuel. Carried out in partnership with the Toulon Provence Méditerranée metropolitan area, this project offers obvious advantages: recharging with hydrogen is just as quick as recharging with petrol or diesel, and the only emission into the atmosphere is water vapor in other words, no harmful gases!

Recycling CO2 and Supporting Ecosystems

The project also aims to recycle the CO2 produced by growing microalgae. These microalgae have the particularity of feeding on this gas in order to develop, and can ultimately be used as animal feed for fish farming. This wastewater treatment plant, capable of converting waste into hydrogen, is a world first, and is currently being duplicated in Hong Kong.

Expertise in Green and Blue Hydrogen

The Group is also providing all its expertise to the players in the sector, supporting both the industry of this green hydrogen produced from renewable resources and that of blue hydrogen produced from natural gas by combining carbon capture and storage to avoid its emission into the atmosphere.

Innovative Technologies for Sustainable Solutions

The combination of innovative technologies and treatment services makes it possible to deliver high-quality water to improve the efficiency of water electrolysis.

Future of Green Hydrogen from Wastewater

The green hydrogen from the wastewater pathway has immense potential for further development. Especially the industrial processes such as distilleries and wastewater treatment plants in municipalities around the world can deploy water recycling methods and utilize this water to generate green hydrogen and oxygen products. Distilleries will use green hydrogen to replace the fossil fuels used in boilers and sell excess green hydrogen from both applications in the market.

Conclusion

Hydrogen for water is recognized as the new energy carrier due to its advantages in terms of energy density and environmental friendliness, especially when it is produced from a green and clean source such as wastewater based and solar based pathways. In this review, we have presented the state of the art of biological, membrane based, electrochemical and advanced oxidation pathways for simultaneous wastewater treatment and hydrogen production while shedding the light on solar driven hydrogen generation techniques from wastewater including progress, limitations and possible improvements.

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