Aston University opens Wolfson Centre for Low Carbon Hydrogen

• The Wolfson Centre for Low Carbon Hydrogen is the first integrated centre in the UK to research the conversion of biomass to low carbon hydrogen

• The Centre provides a complete system from biomass to hydrogen and electricity and can operate in real-world, industrial conditions

• The total cost of the Centre was around £1.5m, including a £300,000 grant from the Wolfson Foundation.

Aston University has opened the Wolfson Centre for Low Carbon Hydrogen, a new state-of-the-art facility dedicated to exploring hydrogen production from biomass conversion.

The Centre houses a pilot plant consisting of three core facilities – a high-pressure gasifier that converts biomass into a hydrogen-containing gas mixture, a palladium membrane reactor for separating high-purity hydrogen from the gas mixtures, and a solid oxide fuel cell that converts the purified hydrogen into electricity.

Based within Aston University’s internationally recognised Energy and Bioproducts Research Institute (EBRI), the Centre is the first fully integrated UK facility for this purpose, and will help to advance the UK’s transition towards a net zero future. The Centre will produce clean hydrogen and demonstrate its use in generating green electricity and has been designed to facilitate collaboration beyond academia.

The hydrogen produced is over 99.5% pure. Burning the hydrogen to produce electricity in a conventional engine would have a conversion efficiency of 25-35%. The fuel cell at the Wolfson Centre, however, has a conversion efficiency of up to 85%.

The Wolfson Centre for Low Carbon Hydrogen is unique for several reasons. Firstly, all three core facilities are in the same space which makes it easy to run the system as a whole, though the modular components can also be run separately for individual research.

Additionally, the gasification process can operate at the kinds of pressures that are used in industry, which most pilot plants used for research cannot do. Processes can behave very differently depending on the conditions, so being able to run the equipment at real-world pressures will give more accurate results. If an industrial company wants to carry out quick studies for changes in feedstock, catalyst or other parameters, the equipment at the Wolfson Centre will be able to facilitate this.

The researchers at the Centre believe that the future for the biomass and hydrogen industry will be in the ability to run the entire process, from biomass to electricity, at the same pressure, which will save energy and increase the overall efficiency. Currently, each stage requires re-pressurisation. The new facility will enable the team to test how operating the whole system without any drops in pressure will work.

EBRI co-director Professor Zhentao Wu explains that the facilities will enable the researchers not only to carry out dedicated research in biomass gasification, membrane separation, and fuel cell technologies individually, but more importantly, to integrate all three components to provide a complete system from biomass to hydrogen and electricity.

The Centre cost £1.5m and was funded by the University’s Capital Fund and a £300,000 grant from the Wolfson Foundation, a charity with a focus on research and education.

At the launch on Thursday 11 September 2025, Aston’s Vice-Chancellor and Chief Executive Professor Aleks Subic, pro-vice-chancellor Professor Tony Clark, and Dr Wu highlighted the Centre’s role in tackling urgent global sustainability challenges.

The opening ceremony included speeches, a plaque unveiling by Professor Subic, and guided tours of the Wolfson Centre laboratories, giving guests first-hand insight into Aston’s pioneering research in renewable fuels, bioenergy, and hydrogen innovation. The tours showcased the Centre’s pilot-scale facilities, upgraded with the latest safety and process technologies, highlighting Aston’s role in bridging academic research with industry needs. The speakers thanked the Wolfson Foundation for its support.

Professor Subic said:

“The new Wolfson Centre at Aston University is more than an experimental hydrogen facility and pilot-plant. It is a collaborative research hub, bringing together academics, industrial partners, policymakers, and students. Through these partnerships, we will help shape the future of low carbon energy and ensure that our research contributes directly to society’s most urgent challenge – delivering sustainable technological solutions for all. At Aston, we are proud of our track record of transforming our research into practical outcomes and impact. The Wolfson Centre exemplifies that ambition.”

Dr Wu said:

“This Centre is a collaborative platform, and we are committed to building up Aston’s strengths in sustainability, membranes and more, and we are committed to research not only in individual areas, but to take an integrated approach. The Centre is not just a set of facilities. It is our commitment to contribute to sustainability.”

Paul Ramsbottom OBE, the chief executive of the Wolfson Foundation, said:

“Aston’s Energy and Bioproducts Research Institute is well-placed to support the UK’s continuing journey towards achieving net zero. We are delighted to be supporting new facilities which will help deepen collaboration with industry and the important efforts to generate, store and utilise sustainable hydrogen as a viable alternative to fossil fuels.”

Plans for the Centre were first announced in January 2023.

About the Wolfson Foundation 

The Wolfson Foundation is an independent grant-making charity with a focus on research and education. Its aim is to contribute to civil society by supporting high-quality projects in science, health, heritage, humanities and the arts.

Since it was established in 1955, the Wolfson Foundation has awarded over £1 billion (£2 billion in real terms) to around 14,000 projects throughout the UK, all on the basis of expert review.