MEMPHYS · Project

Portable System That Purifies and Compresses Hydrogen From Any Dirty Source

energyTestedTRL 5

Imagine you have hydrogen mixed with impurities — like dirty water you need to filter before drinking. MEMPHYS built a compact, plug-and-play box that cleans hydrogen to ultra-high purity (99.999%) and compresses it to 200 bar in one step, using very little energy. It works on hydrogen from all kinds of sources: biogas plants, industrial exhaust, underground storage, even old pipelines. Think of it as a portable water purifier, but for hydrogen gas.

By the numbers

99.999% (5N)

Hydrogen purity achieved

200 bar

Maximum compression pressure

500

Prototype interconnects manufactured

EUR 1,999,925

EU funding invested

Consortium partners across 5 countries

The business problem

What needed solving

Hydrogen from biogas, industrial waste streams, pipelines, and underground storage is often contaminated with impurities that make it unusable for fuel cells or industrial processes. Current purification methods are expensive, energy-intensive, and struggle with the variety of contaminants found in real-world hydrogen sources. Companies need a compact, efficient way to turn dirty hydrogen into fuel cell-grade product — and ideally compress it for transport at the same time.

The solution

What was built

The consortium built a stand-alone electrochemical hydrogen purification system with 500 prototype interconnects (manufactured via hydroforming, laser cutting, and welding), a functional power conditioning unit with full PCB documentation, and a multichannel voltage monitor — all designed for scalable, low-cost production.

Audience

Who needs this

Biogas plant operators producing hydrogen from fermentationIndustrial gas companies managing hydrogen pipelines and storageHydrogen refueling station developers needing fuel cell-grade purityChemical manufacturers recovering hydrogen from waste gas streamsRenewable energy companies integrating hydrogen storage with wind or solar

Business applications

Who can put this to work

Biogas and biomass energy

SME

Target: Biogas plant operators producing hydrogen from fermentation

If you are a biogas plant operator dealing with impure hydrogen from fermentation — this project developed a stand-alone electrochemical purification system that cleans hydrogen to 5N purity (99.999%) and compresses it up to 200 bar in a single step. The system uses low energy because the process is electrochemical and isothermal. With 500 prototype interconnects already manufactured, the technology is moving toward production readiness.

Industrial gas and chemicals

mid-size

Target: Industrial gas suppliers managing hydrogen pipeline networks

If you are an industrial gas company dealing with hydrogen contamination in pipelines or underground storage caverns — MEMPHYS built a scalable membrane purification module that recovers high-purity hydrogen from mixed gas streams. The system includes an anti-poisoning strategy for catalyst protection and on-board diagnostics. Developed by a consortium of 6 partners across 5 countries with EUR 1,999,925 in EU funding, it targets real industrial deployment scenarios.

Hydrogen fueling infrastructure

enterprise

Target: Hydrogen refueling station developers and operators

If you are building hydrogen refueling stations and need to guarantee fuel cell-grade hydrogen — this project created a two-step purification process combining a proton exchange membrane with a polymer membrane that delivers 5N pure hydrogen compressed to 200 bar, ready for transport and storage. The built-in multichannel voltage monitor and power conditioning unit enable autonomous operation with minimal maintenance.

Frequently asked

Quick answers

What would a system like this cost compared to traditional hydrogen purification?

The project specifically targeted low CAPEX by leveraging cost reductions from fuel cell manufacturing scale-up. Based on available project data, exact unit pricing is not published, but the design uses standard fuel cell components (proton exchange membranes, catalysts) whose costs have dropped significantly due to market introductions of electrochemical conversion systems.

Can this scale to industrial volumes?

The system is designed as a scalable membrane purification module — meaning multiple units can be combined for larger throughput. The project produced 500 prototype interconnects in a single batch, demonstrating manufacturing scalability. The modular architecture allows capacity to grow with demand.

Who owns the intellectual property and can I license this?

The IP is held by the 6-partner consortium led by Institut Jozef Stefan in Slovenia, which includes 2 industrial partners. Licensing discussions would go through the coordinator. SciTransfer can facilitate an introduction to the right contact.

Does this meet hydrogen purity standards for fuel cells?

Yes. The system produces 5N hydrogen (99.999% purity), which meets fuel cell-grade requirements. The two-step purification process — electrochemical membrane plus polymer membrane — ensures consistent high purity even from contaminated sources.

How does this handle gas impurities that poison catalysts?

The project developed alternative anode catalysts specifically resistant to impurities, an anti-poisoning strategy, and an on-board diagnostic system to monitor catalyst health. This addresses one of the biggest reliability concerns in electrochemical hydrogen purification.

What was actually built and tested?

The consortium delivered 500 formed and welded prototype interconnects with optimized manufacturing yield, a fully functional power conditioning unit with PCB design documentation, and a multichannel voltage monitor prototype. These are hardware components ready for system integration.

Consortium

Who built it

The MEMPHYS consortium brings together 6 partners from 5 countries (Belgium, Germany, Netherlands, Slovenia, UK), with a balanced mix of 2 universities, 2 research institutes, and 2 industrial partners including 1 SME. The 33% industry ratio signals real commercial interest — these are not just academics writing papers. Led by Institut Jozef Stefan, a major Slovenian research institute, the project had EUR 1,999,925 in EU funding with individual partner budgets between EUR 220,000 and EUR 500,000. The presence of industrial partners who co-developed manufacturing processes (hydroforming, laser welding) for 500 interconnects suggests the technology was designed with production economics in mind from the start.

INSTITUT JOZEF STEFANCoordinator · SI
IMPERIAL COLLEGE OF SCIENCE TECHNOLOGY AND MEDICINEparticipant · UK
FORSCHUNGSZENTRUM JULICH GMBHparticipant · DE
HYET HYDROGEN BVparticipant · NL
DUALE HOCHSCHULE BADEN-WURTTEMBERGparticipant · DE
BORIT NVparticipant · BE

How to reach the team

The coordinator is Institut Jozef Stefan in Slovenia. SciTransfer can locate the project lead and arrange an introduction.

Order a report on this consortium See INSTITUT JOZEF STEFAN profile →

Next steps

Talk to the team behind this work.

Want to explore licensing or piloting this hydrogen purification technology? SciTransfer connects you directly with the research team — contact us for a tailored briefing.

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