Researchers at the UCLA Samueli School of Engineering are collaborating with industry partner Mote to transform biomass waste on campus into hydrogen fuel while removing and sequestering carbon dioxide.

Led by Dante Simonetti, an associate professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering at UCLA Samueli, the team has been working since April to test and evaluate a pilot-scale biomass gasification system with three key objectives: carbon removal, waste reduction and clean energy production.

The process could turn UCLA’s biomass waste — approximately 7 tons per day of materials including food waste and plant trimmings — into hydrogen gas while capturing carbon dioxide released during the process before it escapes into the atmosphere.