Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/1492816
18 STiR coffee and tea | 2023 Issue 1 (February / March) for high quality teas YOUR PARTNER from Japan www.wollenhaupt.com What about the emissions? Significantly lower. The emissions that would normally come from combustion of natural gas are entirely absent when burning hydrogen. So emissions like volatile organic compounds and carbon dioxide are lower. In the case of CO 2 , it would be 10 to 20% lower than with natural gas. There are emissions that come directly from the coffee itself, which would be the same for both systems since that has nothing to do with the type of fuel. Does that mean that you don't need an afterburner? You might still need an afterburner, depending on local emission standards. With European emission standards, for example, you would need an afterburner just to handle the roasting process itself. In other words, emissions from the coffee beans, not from burning of the fuel. What about system cost? For the burner, the installation is a little bit more expensive than for a natural gas burner. The difference depends on the size of the machine. For small-scale equipment, it will be a little bit higher. For hydrogen-powered roasters of industrial size, there really won't be much difference in terms of the total investment cost compared to gas technology. As for fuel supply, you will probably need some kind of storage space for a hydrogen tank. In some geographic locations, you can tap into a hydrogen fuel network the same way you do with natural gas. More of these networks are coming in the years ahead, but there are not so many in place just yet. That's why, for now, most custom- ers will need a storage area to keep bottled hydrogen. What about operating cost, i.e., the cost of burning hydrogen compared to gas? That depends on your location. About two years ago, hydrogen fuel was five times more expensive than natural gas. But today, hydrogen fuel is actually cheaper than natural gas in some countries, especially in Europe. That's because of the energy crisis. As for maintenance cost, it's the same. Is hydrogen fuel difficult to buy? Tanked hydrogen has been easy to source almost everywhere for many decades, and if you are using a shop roaster, it's no problem. You just need space to store the tanks. And there are more and more suppliers offering green hydrogen, generated Visitors to Probat's R&D center can try out a hydrogen-fueled shop roaster.