Waste to Energy Systems, LLC is excited to announce that we have been awarded a grant through the Future Use of Energy in Louisiana (FUEL) program — an NSF-backed initiative designed to position Louisiana as a global hub for energy innovation. This grant funds our proof of concept efforts to use Downdraft Gasification for Green Hydrogen Production and marks a pivotal step in our mission to turn organic waste into clean, valuable energy.
What is the FUEL program?
Future Use of Energy in Louisiana (FUEL) is a program powered by the U.S. National Science Foundation, focused on accelerating the commercialization of energy innovations across the state. The program supports entrepreneurs and companies working on breakthrough technologies within Louisiana's growing sustainable energy economy. As they claim in their Mission statement, they aim to “Accelerate ongoing collaboration among industry, workforce, and cradle-to-career education stakeholders; propel an intentional approach to creating opportunities for Louisiana residents through the Energy Innovation Ecosystem; and Energize public and private investors, incubators, and policymakers to sustain the evolving research, commercialization, and training. Being selected for a FUEL grant is both a recognition of technical merit and a vote of confidence in a company's potential to bring real-world solutions to market.”
Our project: Turning Biomass into Green Hydrogen
At Waste to Energy Systems, we have spent years developing and refining our patented BioHearth® downdraft gasification system. Gasification is the process of converting organic material into a versatile fuel gas (called producer gas or syngas) through the application of extreme heat in an oxygen-starved environment. Thanks to this thermochemical conversion process, downdraft gasification produces exceptionally clean, low-emission gas.
Results of our tests
Our testing has shown that the producer gas we generate contains more than 12-15% hydrogen. With this grant, we will take the next leap forward: separating that hydrogen out and producing a high-purity, sellable green hydrogen — derived entirely from biomass and organic waste, not fossil fuels.
Why does this project matter?
The world is facing a convergence of pressing challenges: landfills reaching capacity, rising greenhouse gas emissions, and growing demand for clean fuel alternatives. Our approach addresses all three simultaneously.
The bioHearth® system is designed for the businesses, farms, and communities that generate consistent organic waste streams — and who could be producing their own clean energy instead of trucking that waste to a landfill. Green hydrogen produced this way carries significant environmental and economic value, and opens the door to carbon credits, tax incentives, and energy independence.
Early Progress: Milestones Already Achieved
We are pleased to share that the team has already made meaningful progress. Here is where we stand today:
Reactor Design Upgrades Complete: Design adjustments to improve residence time within the reactor and improve the quality of syngas production have been completed — a critical step toward maximizing hydrogen concentration in our producer gas.
First Successful H₂ Stripping Tests: We have begun hydrogen stripping tests and successfully stripped hydrogen from our syngas. We are actively working with our hydrogen stripping equipment supplier to increase the purity of the hydrogen we have successfully stripped, and additional testing runs are planned in the near future.
What’s next…
This is just the beginning. Over the coming months, we will be sharing updates as we move through each phase of the project — from our technology research findings to live test results from our R&D system. Follow along as we work to prove out one of the most exciting and accessible pathways to green hydrogen production available today.
We are deeply grateful to the FUEL program and the NSF for this opportunity, to our mentors StartUp Northshore and ProofWoks and to our industry partners — Forager Fuels, Salient Energy Solutions, and John Robert Engineering — for their continued support.
Stay tuned. The best is yet to come.
BY ALISSA WOODS & JESSY ALFARO / MAY 14, 2026