Some time ago we told you about the team of scientists from the Institute of Electrochemistry and Energy Systems (IEES) at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences (BAS), who set out to discover new methods of hydrogen production in order to prevent progressive climate change. Now we present the Decarbonizer project, developed by a start-up company from Varna. The team of young scientists is led by engineers Kalin Nikolov and Mihail Simov.

Decarbonizer is a hydrogen producing system installed in internal combustion engines. According to Eng. Nikolov, the technology is old, but together with his colleagues he has been trying to upgrade it, based on very serious research work that serves as proof of the system’s effectiveness.

"Our main goal is to build and implement such cells in ship engines, as this would be an effective way of reducing emissions, while the maritime industry itself is under great institutional pressure to reduce emissions of harmful gases," Eng. Nikolov has told BNR-Varna. He added that his team were negotiating with a company from Varna that owns a fishing vessel, in order to start tests on water, as they have already achieved success on land.

The first prototype of the project has already been installed on a bus in the municipality of Dalgopol, which in recent years has won several awards for innovative policies. Measurements made before and after the installation of Decarbonizer showed up to 20% reduction in harmful gases, as in smaller vehicles the percentage reaches 30. The young scientist says that the system achieves two of the UN goals for sustainable development - increased energy efficiency and lower levels of greenhouse gases.

The Decarbonizer project received its recognition in the latest edition of the Entrepreneurs in Science program and on May 20 it will be presented in Sofia at the Innovation Starter technology forum dedicated to zero waste emissions.