Levidian: unlocking the power of waste methane to decarbonise UK transport
Leading UK climate tech business unveils vision for the future of transport at the Goodwood Festival of Speed
Potential to produce over 100,000 tonnes of clean hydrogen from farms and wastewater treatment plants – enough to power over half of all bus journeys
Tens of thousands of tonnes of graphene to make the next generation of EVs safer and more sustainable
British climate technology could revolutionise the transport industry by turning methane from wastewater treatment and anaerobic digestion plants into clean hydrogen and graphene – two materials critical to the decarbonisation of the transport sector.
LOOP, created by leading climate tech company Levidian, captures the carbon from methane and transforms it into clean hydrogen and high-quality graphene – a super material that can strengthen tyres and make EV batteries charge faster and last longer.
Research by the company has shown the potential for over 100,000 tonnes of clean hydrogen to be produced by capturing the carbon from UK wastewater treatment plants and farms - enough to power over one billion hydrogen bus miles each year and meet 20% of the hydrogen demand that is predicted to be needed for the transport sector in 2035. Switching buses from diesel to clean hydrogen could reduce the emissions associated with buses and coaches by almost two thirds (64%).
The graphene produced could dramatically improve the EV experience by delivering a 20% increase in the energy density of EV batteries, allowing for lighter, smaller battery packs, and speeding up charging by up to 30%, which would shave at least an hour off the average home charging time of a mid-range EV. Other auto use cases include tyres, composites, heaters, engine oil and paint.
Levidian already has LOOP units in the field with work underway to commission a unit at one of the UK’s largest wastewater treatment plants, United Utilities’ Davyhulme facility later this summer, which is being supported by the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero’s Hydrogen BECCS Innovation Programme. The company has also partnered with clean hydrogen developer, Hexla, to deliver a project at Worthy Farm, home of the Glastonbury Festival, in the world’s first example of carbon negative hydrogen production from biomethane.
John Hartley, CEO, Levidian, said: “Transport emits more greenhouse gases than any other sector in the UK, but innovative homegrown technology like LOOP can change this by supporting a switch to hydrogen-powered transport and graphene-enhanced EVs.
“Our recent projects at Davyhulme and Worthy Farm offer a glimpse into the transformative potential that LOOP has to help critical sectors within the UK economy to decarbonise while contributing towards a wider circular economy, in this case, supporting the transport sector.”
A Vision for the Future of Transport PDF.
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UK government Transport and Environment Statistics 2023 (Transport and environment statistics: 2023.
In 2021, 1.8 billion vehicle miles were attributed to buses and coaches – responsible for 2.5 million tonnes CO2e emissions.
Levidian calculations based on figures published by the Anaerobic Digestion Bioresources Association (ADBA) and analysis carried out by Jacobs as part of Levidian and United Utilities’ H2BECCS Phase 1 project.
Total hydrogen produced estimated at 109,000 tonnes/yr = 4,294,600 MWh (1 tonne = 39.4MWh) = >4.2TWh production or 0.48GW capacity.
Total emissions saved estimated at approximately 1.6m tonnes/yr = 64% of emissions.