RIFT is a spin-off that originated from TU/e student team SOLID. It heated five hundred houses in Helmond via so-called Iron Fuel Technology. In this process, a heat boiler generates heat through the combustion of iron powder. This way, no CO2 was released when the residents of the houses turned on the heating or stepped into the shower.
CEO Mark Verhagen speaks of a huge milestone. The test to heat houses via iron powder lasted a total of 40 hours. In that time, 5 tonnes less CO2 and 66 per cent less nitrogen was emitted than is normally the case. RIFT's technology was connected to homes in Helmond via energy supplier Ennatuurlijk's heat network.
Step in the right direction
"Our goal is to reduce CO2 emissions by 1 gigaton per year from 2050 onwards," Verhagen explains. "That corresponds to seven times the amount the Netherlands now emits on an annual basis. With this success, we are taking a step in the right direction." So says the CEO, who believes that ultimately energy-intensive industries in particular can benefit from this technology. "These are now responsible for at least 40 per cent of CO2 emissions in the Netherlands."
Burning iron powder
RIFT heats water for the heat grid by burning iron powder. This creates a huge flame. This flame heats a large boiler. No greenhouse gases are released in this process. The only residual product is rust, which can be converted back into iron powder. Households notice nothing of this process: hot water is hot water, regardless of how it is heated.
Not a new idea
The idea of using iron as a fuel is not new, but due to the wide acceptance of using fossil fuels, for a long time no incentive was felt to develop this technology further. The concept really took off in 2015 when Professor Philip de Goey started a research programme at TU/e with three of his students. From this, student team SOLID emerged, and from there RIFT was born.
Source: TU/e; Opening photo: RIFT generates heat via the combustion of iron powder (photo: Krols Media)
Photo 2: The production of iron powder (photo: Krols Media)
