Sustainable Development Goals
PROJECT INFORMATION AT A GLANCE:
Project Status:
Demonstration programmes complete; Klean external consulting support.
Organizations Involved:
Klean Industries (external consulting support to the HECTOR and REVIVE programmes)
Services / Equipment:
Waste-to-Value Consulting, Feasibility Studies, Energy & Waste Audits
A city's refuse trucks can run on hydrogen made from the waste they collect, and the fleet itself is the customer that makes the fuel project worth building. Hydrogen fuel-cell refuse trucks did real collection work across Europe: two REVIVE vehicles in Antwerp gathered 4,000 tonnes and covered more than 17,000 km in the early record, and 11 trucks passed 72,000 km by the programme's close. That operating record turns a theoretical question into a commercial one, because the same operator supplies the residual waste and buys back the fuel.
Klean provided external consulting support to HECTOR and REVIVE, applying our industrial resource-recovery experience to connect those truck results with the wider question of how waste treatment, energy recovery and fleet demand can support a commercially useful system. This case presents operating evidence from the two programmes and the external consulting role; the vehicles and their results belong to the participating manufacturers and operators.
Keep the collection service moving. A refuse truck must move between stops, lift containers, compact waste and complete its round with a changing payload. Distance alone does not describe the duty. Vehicle specification, auxiliary power, depot access and maintenance support all decide whether a hydrogen truck can replace the service an existing vehicle performs.
HECTOR tested fuel-cell waste trucks across seven pilot sites in five countries, covering municipal, industrial and paper collection, urban and rural routes, and different loading configurations. Its presentation describes 350-bar and 700-bar vehicle systems, a distinction that makes the refuelling specification a procurement decision, because the truck and the station must be compatible.
The operating experience was mixed. Duisburg's HECTOR trial ran more than 35,000 km, 90% availability and 900 bins emptied daily, while other locations met vehicle faults, limited availability or infrastructure constraints. Aberdeen's work highlighted technician training and diagnostic access; Herten highlighted manufacturer support after deployment. Local service capability is therefore central to the investment case.
Build the fuel business around dependable demand. A hydrogen station needs enough throughput to spread its costs, while the fleet needs fuel available when its rounds require it. REVIVE identified high station utilisation and redundancy as commercial priorities, and HECTOR's indicative planning allowed around 24 months for a new refuelling station and 9 to 24 months for vehicle construction, certification and delivery. Those trial-era ranges explain why infrastructure and vehicle procurement need one coordinated schedule.
Use operating evidence to define the commercial requirements. HECTOR and REVIVE moved the discussion into real collection operations, and their experience helps define what a future fleet-and-fuel project must satisfy.
| Operating evidence | Recorded result | Commercial significance |
|---|---|---|
| HECTOR, Duisburg trial | More than 35,000 km; 90% availability; 900 bins emptied daily | Assess completed collection work and service availability alongside distance |
| REVIVE, six-truck sample to September 2023 | 40,000 km; 4,250 kg hydrogen; 550 refills; 17-minute average refill | Use measured fuel demand and refuelling behaviour to shape station requirements |
| REVIVE, final project reporting | 11 trucks deployed; more than 72,000 km; 1,100 refills | A broader operating record supports the next stage of fleet evaluation |
The records cover different vehicles and periods. A refill average does not include every queue, detour or outage, and the early sample is not a guaranteed consumption rate for another fleet. The useful commercial measure is the cost of delivering the required collection service, including fuel, infrastructure, maintenance and backup arrangements.
Connect waste recovery with the fleet's fuel requirement. REVIVE included a dedicated waste-to-wheel business-model study, examining hydrogen from waste sources for refuse collection. That connects directly to our wider development work: recover resources from waste and design the energy outlet around an identifiable customer.
One relevant configuration we develop combines thermal treatment of suitable residual waste, power generation and electrolysis. Recoverable recyclables retain their appropriate outlets. The thermal plant supplies electricity, and the electrolyser uses electricity and conditioned water to produce hydrogen. Conditioning, compression, storage and dispensing then connect the fuel to compatible vehicles. This is a wider integration opportunity, distinct from the demonstrated truck results.
The potential value comes from serving several connected needs. Waste-treatment income can contribute to the recovery facility's economics, and qualified recovered materials keep their own separate outlets. A collection fleet can provide an anchor customer for hydrogen, while other compatible users may increase station utilisation. Each revenue stream needs its own contract and cost basis, including the value of electricity committed to hydrogen instead of another use.
Make reliability part of the commercial design. The fuel supply needs to match daily collection rounds, seasonal demand and periods of plant maintenance. Storage, alternative supply arrangements and station redundancy can protect service continuity, and workshop readiness, diagnostic tools, trained technicians and spare-parts support belong in the operating plan from the outset.
Fuel-cell operation avoids combustion-related tailpipe emissions. The wider climate result depends on hydrogen production and delivery, electricity sourcing and the waste-treatment baseline. Waste-derived hydrogen is not automatically renewable or carbon-neutral. Lifecycle performance and cost must be assessed against the actual alternatives, including battery-electric collection where the route and charging conditions support it.
A practical basis for connecting a municipal service with a fuel market. The programmes demonstrated hydrogen trucks performing real collection work and exposed the conditions needed for dependable deployment. REVIVE also developed a lifecycle-cost model comparing hydrogen, battery-electric and diesel refuse trucks, providing evidence for subsequent investment decisions.
Our external consulting experience connects with a wider industrial opportunity. A waste operator brings together material supply, treatment obligations, depots and recurring fuel demand. Developing those relationships together can support local resource recovery and transport-fuel production, with infrastructure sized around customers who will use it.
Three selected lessons from the wider experience behind these projects. Through a defined engagement, Klean applies its broader technology and delivery experience to your project's requirements.
1. The collection fleet can be the fuel customer. REVIVE's waste-to-wheel objective connects recurring waste flows with recurring hydrogen demand. Develop the treatment and fuel-offtake arrangements together so plant capacity has a credible commercial destination.
2. Availability determines the value of the investment. HECTOR's contrasting operating experiences show why vehicle reliability, local maintenance and station uptime must be assessed together. A truck contributes value only when it completes the required collection service.
3. Scale demand before scaling infrastructure. REVIVE highlighted station utilisation and redundancy. Phase production, storage and dispensing around committed fleet demand, with expansion supported by additional users and a complete cost and lifecycle assessment.
Establish how your fuel customer and waste-recovery business will support each other before committing capital. We develop and license resource-recovery technology and integrate equipment around defined feedstocks, products and users.
A scoped paid assessment can establish fleet demand, hydrogen-supply options and infrastructure requirements. For new equipment, a paid Detailed Equipment Quotation (DEQ) establishes the preliminary configuration and commercial basis, a Detailed Feasibility Study (DFS) develops project viability, and Front-End Engineering Design (FEED) follows the DFS.
Bring us your collection routes, fleet plans, waste quantities and composition, depot arrangements and energy resources, and we will establish a credible fuel customer and the recovery configuration needed to serve it.
Assess Your Waste-to-Hydrogen and Fleet Business Case »
LEARN MORE
ABOUT THE INFORMATION PRESENTED
This case combines public HECTOR and REVIVE programme evidence with our external consulting experience. Operating figures retain their stated trial or reporting basis; wider waste-to-hydrogen configurations are separate development opportunities. Client practices, commercial details and proprietary know-how may remain confidential, and an enquiry, NDA or paid engagement does not automatically grant access to restricted records or facilities. Disclosure and access require the relevant permissions and an agreed scope; some information cannot be disclosed publicly or privately.
This case addresses themes within the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals: clean energy (Goal 7), industry and infrastructure (Goal 9), sustainable cities and communities (Goal 11), responsible consumption (Goal 12), and climate action (Goal 13).
