It will be built in Pinto at the Arroyo Culebro Cuenca Media Alta WWTP, and will have an initial capacity of approximately 80,000 kg of hydrogen per year. This is a state-of-the-art project as Canal de Isabel II will produce hydrogen from reclaimed water (treated water that receives additional treatment) at this plant. It will do this through electrolysis using a hybridization of two renewable technologies as an energy source: photovoltaic solar generation and biogas cogeneration using waste from the treatment plant.
Thanks to the tertiary treatment implemented in this facility, Canal de Isabel II will be able to supply reclaimed water to meet all the demands required by the electrolyzer (12 liters of water are needed to produce 1 kg of hydrogen). it occurs). Thus, it will be unique because it will receive all the energy needed for its operation from renewable sources, produced at the facility itself, and because it will be the first plant in Spain to use recycled water as a source of hydrogen production instead of drinking. will use Water.
In addition, the oxygen produced during electrolysis by separating water molecules will be used to improve the purification treatment received by wastewater reaching this WWTP, where pollution generated by 1.2 million residents is treated.
Thanks to this Community of Madrid project, which will make it possible to compare the possible uses of hydrogen and make the most of its potential, Canal de Isabel II will open a new path for sustainable mobility, the electrification of heavy transport and the decarbonization of industrial processes. Renewable hydrogen is establishing itself as one of the main energy vectors of the future because it is storable, transportable and climate neutral. Furthermore, it does not generate polluting emissions during its production and consumption.
Pinto Water Treatment Plant, once again the pioneer
With the construction of a green hydrogen plant on its land, the Arroyo Culebro Cuenca Media Alta de Pinto Treatment Plant is once again the forerunner of a cutting-edge project in the field of circular economy. In 2007 itself it was the first to produce 100% recycled paper with a fully recycled water supply.
The WWTP, which can produce 30 million liters of conventional reclaimed water per day for irrigation of green areas or cleaning of streets, has even more advanced regeneration treatment using ultrafiltration membranes and reverse osmosis. This allows it to produce 12 million liters of high-quality reclaimed water per day, suitable for use in industrial processes, and now also for the production of green hydrogen. These functionalities differentiate it from the rest of the purification stations in the Community of Madrid and make it a benchmark in Spain for the regeneration of treated wastewater.
