The food manufacturer today (Feb 10) said it will look at the implementation of dual-fuel boilers, combusting both hydrogen and natural gas, at its production facility in Billingham, North East England as a stepping-stone to achieving carbon neutrality.

UK-based Protium and Petrofac are supporting the move, having teamed up with Quorn to showcase how hydrogen could both expand production capacity and slash emissions.

Mark Taylor, Chief Engineering Officer at Quorn, said, “Quorn Foods is committed to being net-positive by 2030. This means we will put more into our planet than we take out. Health, well-being, nature, society, and the way we manage our business sustainably are all part of this journey.

“We are also aiming for net-zero emissions within our operations by 2030. To achieve this, we are considering all options to drive down the carbon intensity of our process heat and electricity consumption. The transformational opportunity which green hydrogen potentially presents is one we are taking very seriously.

The effort couldn’t be timed more perfectly for Quorn. With the ongoing natural gas shortage and high gas prices, green hydrogen could present a realistic, sustainable alternative for the company to secure its energy supply

Further to that, with the UK food and drink sector accounting for 25% of the UK’s total CO2 output, the company will be showcasing exactly how hydrogen could revolutionise the food manufacturing process.

Taylor continued, “Changing well-established manufacturing processes comes with real challenges, and we are excited about working with Protium and their team of partners. The approach that Protium have taken with us has been highly collaborative; engineering based; and commercially pragmatic.”

“We look forward to completing this phase of the project and to fully understanding the green hydrogen opportunity.”

Eager to work with the food pioneer, Chris Jackson, CEO of Protium, said, “Quorn has proven through this project that it is committed to delivering its mission by focusing on its production process and how to drive long-term sustainability.

“We are thrilled to be working alongside an industry leader and food pioneer to help them implement their net zero strategy. We hope other brands in the space follow suit and support the drive to decarbonise Britain.”

Jon Carpenter, Petrofac’s Vice-President, New Energy Services, added, “We’re looking forward to collaborating with the teams at Protium and Quorn and deploying our engineering expertise to define the potential for using green hydrogen in Quorn’s production processes.

“The project could unlock a game-changing solution for decarbonising Quorn’s manufacturing process – one that could benefit the food and drink sector as a whole.”