Ceará Gas Company (Cegás) Studies the Use of Biomethane for Clean Hydrogen Production in the Region

Cegás, which operates in Ceará, studies the feasibility of producing green hydrogen from biogas. According to the company, it is possible that every 5 m³ of biogas will produce 1 kg of hydrogen, depending on the technology used in the process.

The Ceará Gas Company (Cegás) is exploring the possibility of using biogas for the production of clean hydrogen. The company distributes 90,000 m³ per day of biogas, produced at the Caucaia landfill by GNR Fortaleza, and intends to expand this volume, which currently represents 15% of the total distributed.

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Cegás President Speaks

According to Hugo Figueirêdo, president of Cegás, the company aims to remain at the forefront of green hydrogen injection into the distribution network, just as it did with biogas in 2017.

Ceará is competing in the race for hydrogen market development in Brazil, with the installation of an H2V hub at the Pecém port. So far, all projects are primarily focused on the export of produced hydrogen, taking advantage of the existing connection between Pecém and the Port of Rotterdam. Four companies are already interested in the Ceará port hub, in addition to others that are in the negotiation queue.

Cegás is Already Studying the Feasibility of Hydrogen Injection

Hugo imagines that in the future, it will be possible to have hydrogen and biogas in the network. Just as we currently transport natural gas from the pre-salt to the state, the reverse could happen with green hydrogen.

The Ceará company is already progressing with the feasibility studies for injecting the new energy source into the network. Currently, Cegás is selecting researchers and companies that wish to collaborate on the project. Even hydrogen producers are in dialogue with Cegás to develop a pilot project.

Currently, Cegás has steel, polyethylene, and high-density polyamide networks. It is necessary to observe how these materials behave, in addition to making the fine adjustments required in network equipment. The president also emphasizes that even though there are experiences in the United States and Europe, it is essential to see how they adapt to the location, which also includes considering the effect of H2V on consumer equipment.

ProQR Project Promoting Sustainability

The ProQR is being developed in Ceará for the implementation of a green refinery for the production of aviation biofuel. The use of biomass hydrogen will allow the manufacture of fuels for aviation in remote locations.

The ProQR is a Federal Government program, through MCTIC, in partnership with the government of Germany, aimed at encouraging alternative projects for aviation that do not degrade the environment. According to Hugo, regulation is certainly one of the biggest bottlenecks, as it is not simply about creating regulations to define the characteristics of clean hydrogen, but the mixture with natural gas itself.

In addition, production units must be certified, a step that comes after regulation. Despite this, the Cegás president asserts that the experience with biogas can contribute to this process. The executive highlights that he knows which steps need to be taken and states that the experience with biogas will help the environment as a whole.

Regarding green hydrogen production through biogas, the president states that depending on the technology, each 4 or 5 cubic meters of gas produces 1 kg of hydrogen.