Details
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Article number | 100254 |
| Journal | Advances in Applied Energy |
| Volume | 20 |
| Early online date | 1 Nov 2025 |
| Publication status | Published - Dec 2025 |
Abstract
The growing demand for green hydrogen is driving the expansion of water electrolysis. The resulting oxygen byproduct offers potential added value when used in sectors with high oxygen demand, such as wastewater treatment. This study investigates the techno-economic viability of using electrolysis oxygen to supplement conventional air blowers in the aeration process of municipal wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) to reduce aeration costs and thereby improve the overall economics of hydrogen production. A comprehensive system model is developed, incorporating renewable electricity supply, water electrolysis, hydrogen compression, storage, and transport, as well as WWTP aeration via conventional air blowers and electrolysis oxygen. Results show that electrolysis oxygen can reduce WWTP aeration costs by up to 68%. If these cost reductions are attributed as a benefit to the hydrogen system, they correspond to hydrogen supply cost savings of up to 0.39 EUR/kgH2. However, the analysis indicates that economic viability is substantially influenced by factors such as the distance of hydrogen transport from the WWTP to the European Hydrogen Backbone feed-in point, which should not exceed 25 km, and the alignment between the scale of hydrogen production and the size of the WWTP, with cost-effective integration being particularly feasible for larger WWTPs (≥500,000 PE).
Keywords
- Aeration, Electrolysis oxygen, Green hydrogen, Sector coupling, System optimization, Techno-economic analysis, Wastewater treatment
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Engineering(all)
- Building and Construction
- Energy(all)
- Renewable Energy, Sustainability and the Environment
- Energy(all)
- Fuel Technology
- Energy(all)
- Energy Engineering and Power Technology
- Energy(all)
- General Energy
- Engineering(all)
- Mechanical Engineering
- Environmental Science(all)
- Management, Monitoring, Policy and Law
Sustainable Development Goals
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In: Advances in Applied Energy, Vol. 20, 100254, 12.2025.
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Research › peer review
}
TY - JOUR
T1 - Utilizing oxygen from green hydrogen production in wastewater treatment plant aeration
T2 - A techno-economic analysis
AU - Matz, Levin
AU - Koenemann, Lukas
AU - Brundiers, Steffen
AU - Beyers, Inga
AU - Freyschmidt, Arne
AU - Bensmann, Astrid
AU - Hanke-Rauschenbach, Richard
N1 - Publisher Copyright: © 2025
PY - 2025/12
Y1 - 2025/12
N2 - The growing demand for green hydrogen is driving the expansion of water electrolysis. The resulting oxygen byproduct offers potential added value when used in sectors with high oxygen demand, such as wastewater treatment. This study investigates the techno-economic viability of using electrolysis oxygen to supplement conventional air blowers in the aeration process of municipal wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) to reduce aeration costs and thereby improve the overall economics of hydrogen production. A comprehensive system model is developed, incorporating renewable electricity supply, water electrolysis, hydrogen compression, storage, and transport, as well as WWTP aeration via conventional air blowers and electrolysis oxygen. Results show that electrolysis oxygen can reduce WWTP aeration costs by up to 68%. If these cost reductions are attributed as a benefit to the hydrogen system, they correspond to hydrogen supply cost savings of up to 0.39 EUR/kgH2. However, the analysis indicates that economic viability is substantially influenced by factors such as the distance of hydrogen transport from the WWTP to the European Hydrogen Backbone feed-in point, which should not exceed 25 km, and the alignment between the scale of hydrogen production and the size of the WWTP, with cost-effective integration being particularly feasible for larger WWTPs (≥500,000 PE).
AB - The growing demand for green hydrogen is driving the expansion of water electrolysis. The resulting oxygen byproduct offers potential added value when used in sectors with high oxygen demand, such as wastewater treatment. This study investigates the techno-economic viability of using electrolysis oxygen to supplement conventional air blowers in the aeration process of municipal wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) to reduce aeration costs and thereby improve the overall economics of hydrogen production. A comprehensive system model is developed, incorporating renewable electricity supply, water electrolysis, hydrogen compression, storage, and transport, as well as WWTP aeration via conventional air blowers and electrolysis oxygen. Results show that electrolysis oxygen can reduce WWTP aeration costs by up to 68%. If these cost reductions are attributed as a benefit to the hydrogen system, they correspond to hydrogen supply cost savings of up to 0.39 EUR/kgH2. However, the analysis indicates that economic viability is substantially influenced by factors such as the distance of hydrogen transport from the WWTP to the European Hydrogen Backbone feed-in point, which should not exceed 25 km, and the alignment between the scale of hydrogen production and the size of the WWTP, with cost-effective integration being particularly feasible for larger WWTPs (≥500,000 PE).
KW - Aeration
KW - Electrolysis oxygen
KW - Green hydrogen
KW - Sector coupling
KW - System optimization
KW - Techno-economic analysis
KW - Wastewater treatment
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=105020971945&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.adapen.2025.100254
DO - 10.1016/j.adapen.2025.100254
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:105020971945
VL - 20
JO - Advances in Applied Energy
JF - Advances in Applied Energy
M1 - 100254
ER -