Hydrogen from Seaweeds with CO2 Capture

Jeremiah Lemi Muia holds both Bachelor of Science and Master of Science degrees in Geology with a bias in Geochemistry, specializing in carbon capture and mineralization technology. He is currently a Multi-Disciplinary PhD Candidate in Climate Change Science, Technology and Governance at the University of Nairobi, Institute for Climate Change & Adaptation after having successfully undertaken post-graduate training the Physics of Carbon capture & Storage and Carbon Capture, Utilization and Sequestration (CCUS) at the German Research Centre for Geosciences (GFZ) and Kyoto IEA Summer school in Japan, respectively.

Since 2011, he has been serving as a panel member of the UNFCCC’s first Carbon Capture and Sequestration (CCS) Working Group with the role of advising the Kyoto Framework’s Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) Board on technical viability of relevant projects submitted from across the developing world. He is the founder and CEO of the Carbofix Services an Hybrid organization implementing CCUS Projects.

The hydrogen economy is seen as one of the crucial ways to decarbonize transport and domestic and industrial heat. However, bulk hydrogen will be needed to fuel the hydrogen economy so a means of producing hydrogen with zero emissions is needed if there is to be any environmental benefit. This project is looking at the feasibility of producing bulk hydrogen from i) Biomass (seaweeds) in phase one and ii) natural gas in Phase two combined with carbon capture. The latter entails validation of our Carbofix Carbon Mineralization technology capability to selectively capture converting it to a commercially useful mineral by-product leaving hydrogen of high quality. The particular commercial seaweed, one of the fastest growing organisms on earth, absorbs carbon dioxide at a rate up to five times faster than land-based plants and improves marine habitats. Because the project is based on Bio-energy-with-Carbon-Capture (BECCS), the net CO2 emissions in negative.

The hydrogen economy is often suggested as a route to shifting our global economies towards zero carbon and many of the technologies enabling this are nearing commercialization. However, the supply of zero carbon Hydrogen is a major barrier to its success.Our innovation addresses this need and is likely to be instrumental to the successful roll out of the hydrogen economy in Africa. The latter is one of the fastest growing economies having lagged-behind over the years and is actively exploring and exploiting its fossils fuels thus left alone could become the next frontier/epicenter of greenhouse gases emissions. The technology is timely considering virtually all the 54 countries of Africa are signatories to the Paris Climate Agreement.

Air Pollution and CO2 emissions from the transportation sector in the Kenyan capital is ‘beyond imagination’. With Africa’s predicted population increase – and a constant stream of ‘dirty’ second-hand fossil fuel cars from Europe and Japan – this urban health crisis could kill 1.5 million people within a generation.

Researchers from the Swedish Gothenburg University in 2015, found that the amount of cancer-causing elements in the air within the Nairobi city is 10 times higher than the threshold recommended by the World Health Organization.

Our project (during this first phase) will focus on the feasibility of creating a negative emissions Hydrogen derived from seaweeds. This pilot scheme will be based within a seaweed growing community in south coast Kenya whereby a seaweed biomass/feed-stock will fuel an anaerobic digestion Plant producing biogas, (a mixture of methane and CO2). This gas will then be passed through a steam methane reformer converting the methane to a mixture of CO2 and Hydrogen. The mixture this will then pass through our Carbofix CO2 capture system to remove the CO2 leaving behind pure Hydrogen. The H2 can then be stored using existing commercial storage technologies and used for domestic heating and cooking or used in a fuel cell to generate electricity for transportation or power a local off/mini grid. The capture CO2 will be converted into usable mineral by-products.  

The key objectives are thus to prove the technical feasibility or field validation of our Carbofix Capture Technology to produce Hydrogen, from seaweeds generated biogas, of sufficient quality to be used in a fuel cell and stored. This work would inform a model of a scaled system which could include hydrogen generation from natural gas in our future second phase.

In Kenya, it is estimated that Indoor Air Pollution (IAP) causes 14,300 deaths each year. About 40% (14.9 million) of the total population in Kenya is directly affected by IAP representing households that use biomass. Air pollution in the city mostly from fossil fuel powered transportation and industrial sectors is beyond imagination The solution proposed in this project is versatile, meeting the variable demand for heat, electricity and transportation fuels with energy storage in the form of hydrogen to deal with peak demand. This technology would represent an economically viable solution for the cooking gas suppliers’ networks. Major industrial Plants emitting CO2 will also require our solution to capture and convert CO2 into re-usable products. Success of this first phase of capture technology will usher in the second phase of generation hydrogen from natural gas leading to innovative solutions for H2 refueling stations enabling access to H2 anywhere natural gas is available in Kenya and Africa in General removing a major barrier to the roll out of fuel cell vehicles

We shall be training and financing a few youth and women (with a potential of recruiting thousands in the near-future) to own a seaweeds acre of seascape with guaranteed market.

This was all preventable.

I don’t just mean the bungled response to the COVID-19 pandemic -- I also mean the climate crisis. Not just right now, but in the weeks, months, and years to come.  

These crises are inextricably linked, and the response to this pandemic -- the ignored warning signs, slow responses, muddled strategies, least developed countries being hurt (impacted) disproportionately -- is exactly what we’re seeing as we face the realities of the climate crisis that is looming large.

Globally we emit around 40 billion tons of CO₂ annually, so net-zero CO₂ by 2050 is urgently needed.

In Kenya there are numerous energy and industrial plants that emit millions of tons of greenhouse gases, mainly CO2, into the atmosphere while polluting the ambient air annually, unmitigated. In my recent (2018) interview, for my PhD Dissertation, to several executives in over 30 of these firms, two key reasons emerged as to why the pollution goes on without mitigation; the fallacy that carbon capture and storage technology is commercially unviable and lack of incentives coupled with absence of tighter and stricter regulations on greenhouse gases emissions by the government to drive the emitters to embrace the clean technology

During the aforementioned interview, I introduced the ideas of carbon capture and utilization (CCU) and carbon-capture and geologic storage (CCS) technologies to the commercial managers of these industries. Majority of them got interested in CCU technology whereby the CO2 they emit can be captured at a viable cost per ton and utilized to manufacture other products like glass and baking soda besides cashing-in the carbon credits from the emission-reductions thereof. As someone who is interested operating at the interface between research and industry, I decided to use my acquired geochemical knowledge/skills to start a carbon capture and utilization social-enterprise.

As a member of the Carbon Capture and Sequestration (CCS) Working-Group of the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) within the UNFCCC framework, since 2012, I have had the privilege to attend global Climate-Change negotiations meetings. During this period and by virtue of my own investigations for my doctoral training in Climate Change Science, technology and Governance, I have observed a common school of thought among a good number of senior government officials and policy makers from Africa regarding the urgency of climate change mitigation. They invariably imply that it is the developed nations that polluted the earth during their industrial revolution times and that it is the same developed world responsible for fixing it.  Sadly, open air Pollution in the Kenyan capital is ‘beyond imagination’ thanks to the local transportation, industrial and energy sectors. Recently researchers from the Swedish Gothenburg University, found that the amount of cancer-causing elements in the air within the Nairobi city is 10 times higher than the threshold recommended by the WHO. As a resident of an affected Nairobi suburb, I belong to a different school of thought that believes Africa can leap-frog to sustainable development.

I hold both a bachelor and master of science degrees in geology with a bias in geochemistry specializing in mineral-carbonation from the University of Nairobi. I undertook a postgraduate training on the physics of carbon capture and sequestration at the German Research Centre for Geosciences (GFZ) in 2008. In 2012 I was a beneficiary of a postgraduate summer-school training program in Kyoto, Japan on carbon capture, utilization and sequestration (CCUS) that included practical applications of the technology. Since 2011, I have been serving as a member of the first Carbon Captures and Sequestration (CCS) working group of the United Nation Framework convention on Climate Change (UNFCCCs) Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) located at the Bonn city in Germany, a panel comprising seven members. This position has accorded me the opportunity to stay abreast of the cutting edge CCUS emerging technology as well as sharpen my skills in the same climate change mitigation intervention strategies. My job tasks have included;

• Provision of input on requests from the CDM Board or Conference of the Parties (Countries) serving as the meeting of the Parties to the Kyoto Protocol (CMP);
• Undertaking the assigned peer review of cases for complex revisions and reformatted carbon sequestration methodologies;
• Assessing specific technologies/measures as conferring additionality on microscale clean development mechanism (CDM) project activities proposed by a designated national authority (DNA) for its country and the draft recommendation on it prepared by the UNFCCC secretariat.

My multidisciplinary doctoral training is based Climate change science, technology & governance.

The Kenya high education loans board (HELB) stopped issuing loans to postgraduate students when I had just registered for a master’s degree in geochemistry at the university of Nairobi, immediately after my undergraduate studies in geology.

It was crystal clear that my second-year and probably third half-year fess and sustenance for my master’s degrees was not guaranteed considering I hailed from a humble background and I had just joined my master’s degree immediately after completing my undergraduate studies. The worst would happen, as expected, when the second-year fees was due and I had totally nothing to pay. I had no choice but to defer my studies. I pleaded with the departmental chairman to allow me volunteer for free as an intern in the geochemistry lab and I he agreed grudgingly.  During the night I would join hawkers in the streets of Nairobi to sell cheap household-ware along the evening traffic jams, up to about 11pm top fend for myself. I worked as unpaid intern helping out prepare reagents and practicals manuals at the geochemistry lab until a project (fully-funded) that dealt with carbon capture came calling where I was embedded and was given a scholarship till, I completed my masters

In 2009 I was elected to the national youth council representing the eastern province, a voluntary/ non-salaried position. Before my three years’ term was over, I managed to caucus other seven youthful leaders representing the other Sven provinces of Kenya and convinced them that we had to form a united front to advocate for cross-cutting pressing matters affecting the youth nationally instead of just our respective regions.  

This led to them appointing me as their spokesperson. I used this platform to aggressively advocate for the creation of a reserve for the youth within the government tenders and job opportunities. Consequently, I led my colleagues in active fundraising to mobilize the threshold number of signatures from the youth (registered citizens aged between 18 and 35 years) across the nation to petition the national parliament to have a bill that addressed our genuine interest.  

Before my term was overs, we managed to have the national parliament successful pass a motion that ring-fenced for the youth 30% of all (mostlynon-specialized) government tenders for provision of certain services and goods as well as certain categories of works contacts. The bill would later successfully be signed by the president making it law.

Other somewhat related technologies include capturing carbon-dioxide as a liquid ready for underground storage, however, these solutions are very energy intensive and are only practical where access to CCS pipeline infrastructure is economically viable. As a result, small distributed H2 production using this approach is not practical. Others entail electrolysis of water, however this is zero carbon only if the power used is derived from renewable sources. Our project brings Carbon Capture and Mineralization (CCM) and SMR technologies together is highly innovative and there is much scope for the generation of new IPR in this area as a result of this project. The hydrogen economy is often suggested as a route to shifting our global economies towards zero carbon and many of the technologies enabling this are nearing commercialization. However, the supply of zero carbon H2 is a major barrier to its success, this innovation addresses this need and is likely to be instrumental to the successful roll out of the hydrogen economy.

The commercial seaweed to be used as biomass/feedstock is one of the fastest growing organisms on earth, absorbs greenhouse gas carbon dioxide at a rate up to five times faster than land-based plants and improves marine habitats, regenerate our ocean, replenish fish stocks and at the same time sequester millions of tons of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. Because this system will be bioenergy with carbon capture (BECCS) the net emission reduction is beyond zero and actually negative.

Air Pollution and CO2 emissions from the transportation sector in the Kenya's capital is ‘beyond imagination’

With Africa’s predicted rise in population – and a constant stream of dirty second-hand cars from Europe and Japan – this urban health crisis could kill 1.5 million people within a generation.

Researchers from the Swedish Gothenburg University in 2015, found that the amount of cancer-causing elements in the air within the Nairobi city is 10 times higher than the threshold recommended by the WHO. 26% of all deaths (Pre-Covid) reported in hospitals in Kenya have been as a result of Acute Respiratory Infections (ARI) attributed to either Indoor or Outdoor air pollution.

Africa is arguably urbanizing and ‘motorizing’ faster than any other region in the world, Nairobi being a classic case. Its pollution is not yet level with New Delhi or Beijing, but it is getting there quickly.

Besides air pollution, the emission of greenhouse gases by these transportation, energy and industrial sectors is driving global warming levels higher catastrophic climate Change considering the latter is an existential threat

The “Hydrogen Economy’ is often seen as a realistic solution to this world's energy-trilemma. However, bulk & clean production of hydrogen is needed for the realization of this sustainable economy.  

The current solutions are based on direct use of biogas for generation of electricity using standard gen-sets with waste-heat used in local heat networks. In some demonstrations, biogas is compressed and used as a transport fuel in specially converted vehicles or in place of LNG for off-grid domestic heating. Although these solutions offer advantages of lower emissions than fossil fuel derived alternatives, the generation/combustion of biogas still results in CO2 emissions. Other competing technologies include electrolyzing of water to produce hydrogen, which is very energy intensive requiring large onsite storage space and has safety implications. 

Our project seeks to generate 'Net-Zero Emissions’ in the case of natural gas and ‘Net-negative Emissions’ in the case of biogas system derived from seaweeds (Bio-energy with carbon capture and sequestration-BECCS) offering more a flexible source of  clean and affordable energy for heating/cooking, electricity generation and transportation.

Currently we have been working with a youth and women groups in south coast Kenya with the aims of rolling out the pilot seaweeds programs. The total number of the people we are directly dealing with in the pilot seaweeds is 100 with a possibility of adding another 100 within two weeks.

The target is to enlist, train and finance about 10,000 Youth over a decade (1000 every year) to grow, own and manage an acre equivalent of a seascape seaweed farm. Dubbed the Carbofix One Acre Seascape Per Youth (Carbofix 1-ASPY) project, it has the potential to transform the lives of these hitherto unemployed youthful masses, regenerate our ocean, replenish fish stocks and at the same time sequester millions of tons of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. The latter will contribute to our national climate change mitigation targets considering that Kenya is a signatory to the UNFCCC CoP21 Paris Climate agreement for addressing the global warming challenge. The seaweeds will be bought from the sponsored Youth and women farmers as a feedstock for a biomethane production plant owned by Carbofix Organization Plant near the Indian Ocean shores in South Coast Kenya with the farmers as shareholders and key stakeholders.  

We expect by then to be producing enough hydrogen to power over 100,000 households (about half a million people) and work with numerous petrol and gas stations to install hydrogen pumps to decarbonize the transportation sector.

 In coastal Kenya, Youth unemployment rates are among the highest in the country Employment opportunities are also disproportionately low in the region even for the educated. The few opportunities available for these seaside Youth include mainly fishing in the sea or acting as tour guides. However, the fish stocks have been significantly depleted due to unsustainable fishing over the decades and the tourists’ arrival peak-seasons occur only a few months per year. This unfortunate situation has left scores of disillusioned Youth wandering and roaming along the beaches in the coastal-strip wondering what happened to their lives  

In five years, about at least local 5000 Youth and women will each be trained and financed to won an acre of sea scape of the selected tropical commercial seaweed. The latter is one of the fastest growing organisms on earth, absorbs greenhouse gas carbon dioxide at a rate up to five times faster than land-based plants and improves marine habitats. The Youth seascape farmers will be harvesting their seascape produce every 45 days and selling it as per prior signed contract to our Hydrogen generation situated at the shore. We expect by then to be producing enough hydrogen to power over 100,000 households (about half a million people) and work with numerous petrol and gas stations to install hydrogen pumps to de-carbonize the transportation sector and improve air quality for millions of urban dwellers.

• Technical- Unhelpful reactions may occur leading to inefficiencies in the process. We lack funds to purchase the SMR Unit.
• LEGAL-No Patent for now
• Cultural-Coastal community used to fishing and tourism and not  farming  of seaweeds.
• Financial-Need funds to test the system

• Technical: Carbofix Team will seek to understand the process presented and adjust controls and process conditions to minimize those reactions. The SMR technology is commercially available and we have brought on-board and experienced partners who in supply and operation of SMR units as well as gas storage whom we shall be sub-contracting under strict supervision.
  

• Legal: We are hiring a specialized law firm to undertake the legal process of registration of our IP/Patent
  

• Cultural: Fish stocks have been significantly depleted due to unsustainable fishing over the decades and the tourists’ arrival peak-seasons occur only a few months per year doubled with the likely long disruption by the Covid-19 Pandemic considering over 70% of the tourism is depended on foreign international tourism. We offer them an alternative and more sustainable livelihood. We are also partnering with a regional NGO specialized in seaweeds farming technologies that would be subcontracted to train our selected prospective farmers.
  

• Financial-We have already utilized the previous grant funding to confirm our controlled prototype whereby using a synthetic Biogas (60% Methane and 40% CO2) in our capture unit that involves pressure swing adsorption, we have been able to recover 97% vol and 98.5% vol of Methane and Carbon dioxide respectively with a purity of 99.5% vol at a certain optimal pressure. With the new fundraising round and if our application for the MIT Elevate grant is successful, we shall be able to offset all the expense require for this field program.

1. Echoing Green

2. United States Africa Development Foundation (USADF)

3. Africosta Marine Services-Seaweeds Technology Experts

The target is to enlist, train and finance about 10,000 Youth over a decade (1000 every year) to grow, own and manage an acre equivalent of a seascape seaweed farm. Dubbed the Carbofix One Acre Seascape Per Youth (Carbofix 1-ASPY) project, it has the potential to transform the lives of these hitherto unemployed youthful masses, regenerate our ocean, replenish fish stocks and at the same time sequester millions of tonnes of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere . The latter will contribute to our national climate change mitigation targets considering that Kenya is a signatory to the UNFCCC CoP21 Paris Climate agreement for addressing the global warming challenge. The seaweeds will be bought from the Youth farmers as a feedstock for a biomethane production plant owned by Carbofix Services ltd owned by the three students with the farmers as shareholders key stakeholders. The surplus will be sold for manufacture of textiles, paper, soap, oil or even as food to buyers sourced by this organization. We have already in advanced talks with two NGOs specializing in seaweed farming technology to partner in this venture.

We plan to sell hydrogen as cooking gas via the existing gas distribution networks.

We shall be partnering with gas and petrol stations to install the infrastructure hence trigger mass importation of Fuel Cell Vehicles.

1. Fundraising through grants and equity

2. Cashing in of carbon credits

3. Sell of hydrogen as cooking gas and transport fuel

We have been granted US$ 90,000 from the Echoing Green Foundation and an extra US$ 10,000 from the United States Africa Development foundation (USADF)

We target to raise 2 million US$ 2 Million in the next five years to operate optimally. We tentatively seek to fund-raise through sales (35%), grants (35%) and equity (30%).

We require at least US$ 350,000 to test the complete cycle of the proposed technology to obtain enough data that would inform scaling, efficiency and safety improvements.

Am a frequent visitor to MIT Solve website where am always inspired by the cutting-edge solutions from trans and multi-disciplinary innovators offering great solution to real societal problems in real-time.

Am very much thrilled to apply to the MIT Elevate seeking not only to connect to the tremendous research and skilled human resource command of this world renowned institution but also to stand a chance to be part of a lifelong community of successful start-ups powered by outstanding social entrepreneurs where I can learn from their vast experiences, even as I readily offer to share insights into my little areas of talent and exposure.

If our application is successful, this would be a tipping point towards deployment of our solution since the grant offered by the MIT Elevate fellowship is just about the only financial barrier we need to overcome for us to undertake the crucial field validation of our technology making it very crucial for our progression to the next stage.

We are at an inflection point where we need to validate our technology in the field and inform our scaling.

We would probably need to partner with the MIT Geo-chemistry Labs.