Turning Plastic Waste into Hydrogen: Inside Peel NRE’s Protos Facility
Discover how Peel NRE’s Protos project transforms non-recyclable plastic into clean hydrogen, paving the way for a sustainable circular economy.
Plastic waste is a global environmental crisis, but engineered solutions are emerging to turn this problem into opportunity. One such solution is unfolding at Peel NRE’s Protos site in Cheshire, UK, where groundbreaking technology is converting non-recyclable plastics into clean hydrogen fuel—a resource critical for decarbonizing transport and supporting the transition to a circular economy.
Addressing the UK’s Plastic Waste Challenge
The UK produces nearly five million tonnes of plastic waste annually, much of which ends up in landfill, incinerators, or shipped overseas, contributing to both local and global pollution concerns. Even with increasing recycling capacity, significant amounts of low-quality or contaminated plastics remain outside conventional recycling systems. The need for innovative treatments that extract value from these persistent waste streams has never been greater.
- Plastic waste volume (UK): Over 5 million tonnes per year
- Main disposal problems: Landfilling, incineration, export overseas
- Limitations: Not all plastics are recyclable; contaminated and mixed plastics pose severe challenges
Peel NRE’s initiatives target these non-recyclable streams, aiming to turn them from an environmental burden into a sustainable resource for both energy and fuel.
The Protos Plastic-to-Hydrogen Facility: A UK First
At the heart of Peel NRE’s mission is its plastic-to-hydrogen plant at Protos—the first of its kind in the UK. Powered by pioneering technology, this facility will accept plastics otherwise destined for disposal and convert them into a rich energy gas from which hydrogen can be extracted sustainably.
- Location: Protos, near Ellesmere Port, Cheshire
- Developer: Peel NRE (part of Peel L&P)
- Technology: Powerhouse Energy Group’s advanced thermal conversion process
- Status: Received full planning approval after extensive community consultation
This flagship project not only targets plastic waste but also positions itself at the nexus of energy innovation and industrial regeneration, using local resources to drive national sustainability goals.
How Does the Technology Work?
The Protos facility uses a novel technique called advanced thermal conversion to transform non-recyclable plastics into a useful syngas. Here’s a simplified breakdown:
- Feedstock Preparation: Mixed, contaminated, or unrecyclable plastics are prepared (cleaned and shredded if necessary).
- Thermal Conversion: Plastics are heated in a controlled, oxygen-limited environment, causing them to break down into smaller molecules and form a synthetic gas (syngas).
- Hydrogen Extraction: Syngas is further processed to separate and purify hydrogen.
- By-product Management: Residual solid materials (like char) are managed, with some recyclable metals recovered and the rest either reused or safely disposed.
The extracted hydrogen is suitable for use as a clean fuel in heavy goods vehicles (HGVs), buses, and even cars, directly replacing polluting fossil fuels and improving local air quality.
The Vision: Protos Plastic Park
The plastic-to-hydrogen plant is one part of a much broader vision—Plastic Park—a £165 million cluster of co-located, innovative recycling and treatment technologies all focused on maximizing value from plastic waste. Plastic Park’s design is to:
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- Reduce transportation: Co-location cuts down on truck journeys required to send different plastics to various plants.
- Increase recycling rates: Integrate PET recycling for food packaging alongside hydrogen production for non-recyclables.
- Generate clean energy: Transform plastic waste into hydrogen or energy, keeping residuals within a closed-loop system.
- Create jobs: Up to 147 new roles anticipated upon completion.
- Support circular economy: Move towards zero-waste by using all incoming plastics in some productive way.
Plastic Park will provide processing capacity for up to 367,500 tonnes of mixed recyclables and plastic annually, making a significant dent in the UK’s plastic waste and import/export dependency.
Community Engagement and Project Support
Gaining planning consent for such a novel facility involved thorough community and stakeholder engagement. Nearly 300 local people participated in consultations for the Plastic Park proposal, with a substantial majority supporting the increased domestic recycling capacity. Frequent exhibitions and public meetings were held with parish councils and interest groups to address concerns and inform the community about the project’s benefits and safeguards.
Cheshire West and Chester Council unanimously approved the planning application, highlighting the community’s role in project shaping and its perceived value as an essential infrastructure addition to the North West region.
Environmental and Economic Benefits
The synergistic design of Plastic Park and the hydrogen plant delivers substantial benefits across multiple sustainability dimensions:
- Diverts plastics from landfill and incinerators
- Cuts carbon emissions by producing clean hydrogen fuel locally
- Displaces diesel in transport, improving air quality and reducing dependency on fossil fuels
- Supports local employment and skill development
- Reduces logistics footprint by minimizing plastic movements between multiple treatment sites
| Benefit | Description |
|---|---|
| Landfill Diversion | Keeps thousands of tonnes of waste plastics from being sent to landfill each year |
| Hydrogen Production | Generates local supply of clean hydrogen for transport use |
| Job Creation | Creates up to 147 new jobs at full project buildout |
| Circular Economy | Enables the reuse and recycling of a broader array of plastics |
| Net Zero Support | Directly underpins regional and national climate commitments |
Hydrogen Refuelling: Making Clean Mobility a Reality
The hydrogen extracted at Protos will feed directly into new hydrogen refuelling stations being developed onsite and at other Peel NRE locations. Once operational, a single station at Protos is expected to supply up to 1,000 kg of hydrogen per day—enough to fuel:
- 40 heavy-goods vehicles (HGVs)
- 500 buses
- 2,500 passenger cars
This infrastructure is essential for the broader rollout of hydrogen-powered fleets, helping to reduce emissions in hard-to-decarbonize sectors like trucking and mass transit. Hydrogen’s potential to displace diesel and natural gas is key to meeting the UK’s net-zero goals by 2050.
Wider Roll-Out and Future Expansion
The Protos pilot is the starting point for a national network of similar facilities. Peel NRE has plans for expansion, with a second waste-plastic-to-hydrogen plant already seeking planning approval in West Dunbartonshire, Scotland. Each facility will be strategically co-located with hydrogen refuelling stations and other recycling technologies, reinforcing a distributed, resilient low-carbon infrastructure.
By clustering advanced waste management solutions in energy hubs like Protos, Peel NRE is setting a template for effective regional circular economies and scalable clean fuel production.
Innovation, Partnerships, and the Circular Economy
The Protos project represents an innovative leap, underpinned by strategic partnerships:
- Technology: Powerhouse Energy Group provides the advanced conversion systems that unlock hydrogen from mixed plastics.
- Hydrogen Refuelling: Element 2 is collaborating to deliver a national network of refuelling stations, starting with Protos.
- Consultancy: Axis and other specialists managed environmental assessments and community engagement, setting best-practice benchmarking for future circular economy projects.
These partnerships ensure that knowledge, risk, and opportunity are shared as the technology scales, increasing the prospects for rapid roll-out and widespread adoption.
Challenges and Considerations
Despite strong momentum, the transition from demonstration to full-scale commercialisation involves overcoming several challenges:
- Technical reliability: Commercial operation depends on maintaining efficiency and safety as facilities scale up.
- Feedstock consistency: A reliable supply of feedstock plastics—diverted from landfill or export—must be ensured.
- Public perception: Ongoing public communication is required to build trust and dispel misconceptions.
- Regulatory support: National and local policies must keep pace with innovation, providing clear frameworks for permitting and oversight.
- Economic viability: Hydrogen markets remain nascent; long-term investment and demand signals are critical for establishing robust supply chains.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Q: What types of plastics can be processed?
A: The facility is designed for hard-to-recycle plastics, including mixed, contaminated, and composite items that cannot be handled by conventional recycling technologies.
Q: Is hydrogen safe as a fuel source?
A: Yes, when handled with established industry protocols, hydrogen is a safe and clean energy carrier. The facility incorporates rigorous safety standards at every stage.
Q: How does the project contribute to the circular economy?
A: By turning waste plastics into hydrogen and other useful products, the facility diverts plastics from landfill and promotes resource recovery—two key features of a circular model.
Q: What is the impact on local air quality?
A: Hydrogen fuel does not produce harmful tailpipe emissions, helping cut air pollution compared to diesel vehicles, and improving public health outcomes locally.
Q: Can this model be applied elsewhere?
A: Yes, the Protos project is a blueprint for similar waste-to-hydrogen and advanced recycling hubs, planned for other UK regions as part of a wider roll-out strategy.
Peel NRE’s Protos Facility: Leading the Way
Peel NRE’s Protos plastic-to-hydrogen facility sets a new standard for tackling both the UK’s plastic waste problem and its clean energy transition. By clustering technologies, engaging communities, and paving the way for hydrogen-powered transport, it demonstrates that industrial innovation and sustainability can go hand-in-hand. With further expansion on the horizon, the project stands as a flagship example of how purposeful engineering and strategic investment can shape a greener, more resilient future.
References
- https://element-2.co.uk/peel-nre-signs-deal-to-supply-hydrogen-to-element-2-refuelling-stations-with-first-planned-at-protos/
- https://www.axis.co.uk/case-study-single/protos-plastics-to-hydrogen-scheme/
- https://sustainabilitymag.com/diversity-and-inclusion-dandi/peels-pioneering-plastic-park-plans-proposed
- https://hydrogenindustryleaders.com/plastic-park-using-plastic-waste-to-produce-hydrogen/
- https://carboncopy.eco/initiatives/protos
- https://www.ukreiif.com/investment-news/peel-nre-recycling/
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