Clean cooking fuel with a great impact for southern Africa
Sabine Döring (2nd from right), State Secretary at the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF), learned about the GreenQUEST initiative during her visit to the University of Cape Town. © UCT
More than 50 scientists from South Africa and Germany are working together in the interdisciplinary GreenQuest project. © UCT
Burning biomass for cooking causes harmful environmental and health issues. The German-South African GreenQUEST initiative is developing a clean household fuel. It aims to reduce climate-damaging CO2 emissions and to improve access to energy for households in sub-Saharan Africa.
In sub-Saharan Africa, almost one billion people have limited access to clean household energy. The widespread use of biomass (including firewood) as an energy source contributes to deforestation, soil erosion and carbon dioxide emissions.
The GreenQUEST project, funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF), aims to develop a green liquefied petroleum gas (LFG or gLFG) as an alternative to liquefied petroleum gas (LPG). The gLFG currently mirrors the efficiency and clean-burning qualities of LPG but without its fossil carbon burden. It is to be produced from green hydrogen, which is obtained using renewable energies, and carbon dioxide captured from the atmosphere.
The CO2-neutral fuel also promises better access to clean energy for low-income households in Africa. GreenQUEST is not only promoting the technical development of green LPG, but is also analysing the economic, environmental and social impact that a market launch of green LPG could have.
50 researchers from South Africa and Germany work hand in hand
More than 50 scientists from South Africa and Germany are working together on the interdisciplinary project. It is led by the Catalysis Institute of the University of Cape Town (UCT) and the Helmholtz Zentrum Berlin. This partnership promotes lasting relationships in the field of energy research and thus strengthens the strategic alliance between South Africa and Germany.
State Secretary of BMBF sees the potential for positive change globally
"The cooperative approach driving the GreenQUEST project has the potential to effect positive change not only in African communities but globally," said State Secretary in the Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) Prof Dr Sabine Döring on the occasion of her visit to the University of Cape Town. "This exemplifies the commitment of Germany and South Africa to support sustainable initiatives, underscoring the importance of working together for the betterment of all."
- Nanosilver as an electrocatalyst for CO₂ reductionVia electrolysis, CO2 can be reduced to CO, a raw material for further chemical products such as fuels. Within the GreenQuest Project, an internation team led by HZB chemist Prashanth Menezes has now systematically investigated catalyst layers made of silver nanoparticles, varying both the size of the particles and their density. The best yield was achieved with nanoparticles with diameters of around 10 nm, which were loosely distributed. Furthermore, they demonstrated how the economic efficiency of the electrochemical cell can be enhanced by integrating an additional chemical reaction at the anode, enabling the simultaneous production of a valuable formic acid, hydrogen, and CO in one device.
- Spin waves inside a nano-oscillator imaged for the first timeFor the first time, researchers have directly imaged the magnetisation dynamics inside a spin Hall nano-oscillator — a nanoscale device that converts direct current into tunable microwave signals and is a promising building block for energy-efficient wireless communication and brain-inspired computing. A Swedish–German team led by the University of Gothenburg and Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin (HZB) achieved this using time-resolved scanning transmission X-ray microscopy at the MAXYMUS instrument at BESSY II. The results, now published in Advanced Materials, reveal spin-wave features that had escaped previous, indirect measurement techniques.
- Joint power instead of duplicate structures:Berlin’s research community is further advancing its research excellence by establishing a high-performance, cross-institutional infrastructure for data and AI. With a joint agreement signed on 18 September 2026, the Berlin University Alliance (BUA), the Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin (HZB) and the Zuse Institute Berlin (ZIB) are paving the way for a joint data science and AI centre in Berlin-Dahlem and Adlershof.