‘Formic acid motor’ from Helmond receives a substantial injection

HELMOND – The Dutch start-up Dens (Dutch Energy Solutions) has raised an investment of 550,000 euros from BOM Brabant Ventures and the Brabant Startup Fund.

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The company at the Automotive Campus develops sustainable generators that convert formic acid into energy. DENS is aiming for use of the product in construction and on festivals.

In a few months DENS will bring the first generator to the market that generates electricity based on Hydrozine (formic acid). Inside the generator, the formic acid is converted into hydrogen, which in turn is converted into electricity. The advantage of hydrogen technology is that it only leaves water vapor after use, but the major disadvantage is that it is an explosive, flammable gas and must therefore be stored in in expensive tanks. Hydrozine does not have this disadvantage as the storage in formic acid is liquid and not flammable.

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Max Aerts, one of the founders of DENS, explains: ,, Hydrogen as a sustainable fuel is not new. Think of cars that run on hydrogen. This form of renewable energy has never taken off because the practical implementation, in terms of storage and distribution, turned out to be too difficult and expensive. We make hydrogen storage safer and more efficient by converting the gas into formic acid for storage. In the generator itself it is then converted back to hydrogen, which we use to directly generate energy. “The technique can therefore be applied in several ways. Aerts: ,, We can supply refueling stations for cars that run on hydrogen. At the station the Hydrozine is then converted into hydrogen for refueling. First we chose to focus on  generators. We want to put a good, reliable and sustainable aggregate on the market. “

CO² negative road

DENS already gained experience with this product during a pilot in collaboration with construction company BAM Infra. With a generator powered by a large Hydrozine tank, DENS supplied electricity for two weeks during the renovation of the N211 at The Hague, making it the first CO²-negative road in the Netherlands. According to Aerts, there is interest from the construction world. ,, But we only want to bring it to the market if the technology is completely reliable and as user-friendly as possible. That it really works with one push of a button. “

DENS will present a new, smaller version at the end of this year. Aerts: ,, And then we go to construction sites and festivals. “

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https://www.bom.nl/‍