Transforming pig urine into renewable hydrogen is now a reality. The GreenPig project, sponsored by a farmer in Plumieux (22), plans to transform pig urine into renewable hydrogen. The project, part of a global circular economy approach, will stabilise employment in a rural area, while respecting the animals and the environment. It is potentially replicable internationally.
Project objectives
- Environmental
-Completely eliminate the ammonia emissions from livestock: recovery and use of 100% of the ammonia contained in the urine by stripping and transforming into green fertiliser.
Reduce the pollution of groundwater tables: 100% of excretions will be transformed into energy.
Reduce the carbon footprint per kilo of pork produced: 20% reduction of the existing carbon footprint (currently at 2.6 kg eq.CO2/kg of pork).
-Initiate the deployment of H2 mobility in central Brittany.
- Techniques
- The urine is filtered and separated into osmotic water and concentrated water.
- The osmotic water produces compressed H2 via electrolysis which is powered by a wind turbine plant.
- The electrolysis produces heat for stripping the ammonia contained in the urine, which then produces ammonium sulphate at 8%.
- The water is recycled in full, as the surplus water is used to irrigate neighbouring vegetables, and to wash down the buildings.
This process recovers pig urine by producing 70 000 kg of renewable hydrogen per year and 145 tonnes of ammonium sulphate per year, with reuse of 66% of the water contained in the urine (the concept was patented in April 2021).
- Energy related
-Produce renewable H2 (200 kg of green H2/day).
-Increase the yield of the electrolyser (reuse 100% of the electrolyser’s waste heat for stripping the ammonia).
-Produce and 100% self-consume PV electricity (production 420 MWh).
- Industrial
Create a local energy loop combining the production and storage of green H2. In the long term: provide an industrial agricultural process respecting the environment and animal welfare (production of 10 000 “GreenPigs”).
- Economic
Construction of a viable and duplicable business model (creation of a project company with a consortium of partners, purchase of green electrons).
- Commercial
Create a new range respecting the welfare of the pigs and the environment, involving the creation of a GreenPig certification. But also, to create a production-use system for green H2 and green ammonia in central Brittany.
The projects structures and buildings
- Livestock buildings.
- A process building for urine filtering, ammonia stripping, electrolyser and auxiliary functions (compression, storage…).
- Photovoltaic panels on the building rooftops, whose electricity will be self-consumed in the process.
The project sponsors and partners
| SANOF’AGRI | Sponsor |
| EMPREINTE POSITIVE | Partner |
| ALCA TORDA APPLICATIONS | Partner |
| IFIP-INSTITUT DU PORC | Partner |
| COOPERL ARC ATLANTIQUE | Partner |
| NEREUS WATER | Partner |
| MCPHY ENERGY | Partner |
| KEYNERGIE | Partner |
| ADEME BRETAGNE | Partner |
| CONSEIL REGIONAL DE BRETAGNE | Partner |
| CCI 22 | Partner |
| SAINT BRIEUC AGGLOMERATION | Partner |
| LOUDEAC COMMUNAUTE BRETAGNE CENTRE | Partner |
| PONTIVY COMMUNAUTE | Partner |
| BANQUE DES TERRITOIRES | Partner |
| ENGIE | Partner |
| EDF | Partner |
| ALPIQ | Partner |
| PLOERMEL COMMUNAUTE | Partner |
Key project dates and figures
- Start date: 01/10/2018
- Operational end 2023
- €7814K in investment
Support from BDI through the SMILE programme
BDI supported the development of this project through the SMILE programme. The GREEN PIG project has SMILE certification and is showcased in the SMILE showroom situated 64 bd Voltaire in Rennes and 16 allée des Tanneurs in Nantes (the showroom can be visited by sending a request to the association).
More about the SMILE association
The point of contact for this project for Brittany is Philippe des Robert (contact details below)
Renewable hydrogen coordination :
Philippe des Robert
p.desrobert@bdi.fr
0769600533