Green hydrogen revolution with liquid hydrogen carriers: innovative reactor to release hydrogen

The European Union aims to import 10 million tonnes of hydrogen. This hydrogen can be transported in organic carriers. Catalytic reactors are then needed to release the hydrogen, but such reactors consume a lot of energy and are costly. Preliminary research shows that Catalyzer’s 3D-printed metal catalytic reactor leads to less energy loss at lower costs. The company now aims to further develop its innovative reactor in a pilot project and reduce the CO₂ emissions of the process in order to achieve cost reductions and keep the process economically viable. With this, Catalyzer takes a crucial step towards enabling the large-scale import of green hydrogen into Europe.

Green hydrogen revolution with liquid hydrogen carriers: objectives and actions

Catalyzer seeks to determine the technical and economic conditions required to build a pilot facility. With this pilot, the company intends to test and demonstrate hydrogen release from liquid organic hydrogen carriers. However, preliminary research is needed to assess costs and benefits, as well as technical challenges and opportunities. A key element is to establish and optimise the process’s energy consumption. Can residual heat streams be used to make the process as renewable as possible? Based on the outcomes, Catalyzer can decide whether to proceed with the pilot project.

Results

This project will clarify the feasibility of the intended pilot facility. On the technical side, the improved and optimised design is central. In addition, the economic analysis is key to deciding whether or not to build a pilot facility. What are the market developments, who are the potential customers, and what is the scale of future plants? Calculations already show that with further scaling up and expansion to other facilities in the Netherlands, up to 19,600 kton of CO₂ could be saved in the period 2025–2035.

The researchers will analyse all technical process steps and identify potential process improvements to assess the feasibility of the pilot. An economic evaluation will also be carried out: what does the market look like, what are the construction costs for the pilot, and how profitable will the facility be in the long term? An important aspect is to take customer requirements into account in both the pilot design and its further development. For this, the researchers will conduct desk research and engage with potential customers, suppliers, and advisors.

The consortium of the green hydrogen revolution with liquid hydrogen carriers

The consortium consists of: The Hydrogen Company.