Under its Life Cycle Impact Zero Project, launched in April (2022), Enapter, together with researchs from Fraunhofer UMSICHT, the Wuppertal Institute, and the Institute of Sustainable Nutrition (iSuN) of FH Münster, seek to develop and apply an environmental assessment of its processes.

The partners have said they intend for the assessment to cover chemical manufacturing and electrolyser production, the use of energy, water resources, and waste generation, as well as Enapter’s employee mobility

Dr. Henning Wilts, Director of the Circular Economy Division at the Wuppertal Institute, said, “On top of this, the project comprehensively explores the recycling of critical raw materials that are essential for electrolysis, which only emphasises the pioneering character of Life Cycle Impact Zero.”

The 18 month project hopes to determine concrete measures to avoid negative environmental impacts completely, if possible. Enapter has said the basis for the assessments will comply with ISO 14040, the recognised international standard.

H2 View understands that the Government of the German State of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) has offered its support for the project.

Jürgen Bertling, Deputy Head of Department Sustainability and Participation at Fraunhofer UMSICHT, said, “Electrolysers are a key component of a future hydrogen economy. We are excited that, together with Enapter and our scientific partners, we can work to anchor this technology regionally and in NRW, and in doing so, advance the achievement of important sustainability goals.”

In 2021, Enapter announced it had received €9.3m ($11.2m) in funding from the NRW Ministry of Economic Affairs, Innovation, Digitalisation and Energy to develop new machinery for the mass-production of its electrolysers.

Read more:  Enapter receives €9.3m to scale up electrolyser productions

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