What if the same beam of sunlight could produce clean fuel and high-value chemicals at the same time? That's the premise behind PH2OTOGEN, a technology that goes beyond conventional solar water splitting by combining hydrogen production with glycerol oxidation in a single photocatalytic process.
The result is three distinct outputs, each with its own market relevance and contribution to Europe's clean energy transition.
Hydrogen: closing the gap
Europe has set an ambitious target of 20 million tonnes of green hydrogen by 2030. Today, green hydrogen accounts for just 1% of European production. The sectors that need it most, fertilizer production, steel manufacturing and methanol, are also among the hardest to decarbonise.
PH2OTOGEN addresses this by using solar energy to drive hydrogen production directly, without relying on fossil-based processes. What makes the approach distinctive is that hydrogen isn't produced in isolation: the same photocatalytic process simultaneously oxidises glycerol, generating valuable chemical co-products.
DHA: a high-value chemical, produced differently
Dihydroxyacetone (DHA) is one of the most commercially valuable derivatives of glycerol, a low-cost by-product of biodiesel production. With market prices reaching up to 150 USD/kg and applications spanning cosmetics, pharmaceuticals and food additives, demand is well established. Yet current production methods, largely based on microbial fermentation, suffer from poor yields and costly separation processes. As a result, the EU imports up to 10,000 tonnes annually.
PH2OTOGEN offers a cleaner alternative: locally produced DHA, generated alongside hydrogen in a single sunlight-powered reaction.
Formic acid: scale through versatility
Formic acid is another compound derived from glycerol oxidation. Its unit value is lower than DHA, around 0.76 USD/kg, but it opens access to a significantly larger market. Used in food preservation, antibacterial treatments and chemical synthesis, formic acid saw EU imports of 44,000 tonnes in 2022 alone.
Producing it locally and renewably would reduce that import dependency while generating additional value from the same process.
One process, multiple outputs
What ties these three outputs together is the core logic of PH2OTOGEN: a single photocatalyst sheet, powered by sunlight, producing hydrogen on one side and oxidising glycerol on the other. This dual-output design improves overall efficiency and strengthens the economic case for solar-driven chemistry, framing hydrogen not as an isolated goal but as part of a broader value chain where sustainable fuel and high-value chemicals are produced together, from the same renewable source.