S U S TA I N A B I L I T Y
Hydrogen fuels the oven of the future With the world’s first zero-emissions baking oven, a tunnel oven made by Den Boer, AMF Bakery Systems unlocked the opportunity for baking technology that is entirely environmentally sustainable. Times are now catching up with this next-generation technology, in finding ways to source and use green hydrogen.
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The futuristic oven concept running on hydrogen is also a literal nuts-and-bolts, working technology residing in the AMF Tromp Innovation Center in the Netherlands. The modular Multibake ® VITATunnel Oven effectively eliminated emissions commonly produced by baking ovens by using green hydrogen to activate its burners. Color-coded hydrogen To clarify the different color codes used to describe hydrogen, it should be understood as an energy carrier. Gray signifies that natural gas is used to obtain this hydrogen, a resourcedemanding process that also results in CO2 as a by-product. Research also shows that considerable amounts of methane escape into the atmosphere as natural gas is extracted. Hydrogen is labeled blue when the CO2 generated from steam reforming (the gray hydrogen, known for years) is
captured and stored underground (85-95%), through industrial carbon capture and storage. Green, however, means that this type of hydrogen is produced by splitting water via electrolysis; it is ‘clean’ hydrogen. This produces only hydrogen and oxygen, with no negative impact on the environment, as electrolysis can be powered by renewable energy sources, such as wind or solar power, to steer clear of any CO2 emissions. Deep green baking Hydrogen is a viable energy source to support baking technology, as AMF assessed and demonstrated by designing the technology. Since many bakeries are using natural gas for their ovens, another type of gas could be an easy switch for them, the company theorized. Hydrogen was discovered decades ago but had not been considered a potential energy
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www.bakingbiscuit.com 06/2021
