Switzerland based chemical firm Clariant is taking part in German government’s Kopernikus technology initiative, which intends to speed up the shift to renewable energy.
As part of the initiative, the Catalysts business of Clariant will design catalysts for Power-to-X project for Liquid Organic Hydrogen Carriers (LOHC) technology.
Apart from Clariant, the RWTH Aachen University, Forschungszentrum Jülich (FZJ), Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen/Nuremberg (FAU), Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) and Areva H2Gen will also take participate in the initiative.
The Fraunhofer Institute for Mechanics of Materials (IWM) / Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems (ISE), Leibniz-Forschungsverbund Energiewende (WZB/DIW), Hydrogenious Technologies and thyssenkrupp Industrial Solutions will also serve as partners to Clariant.
The standard industry gas, hydrogen, is used to store energy from renewable resources. However, the gas is difficult to store due to its low density, high flammability and extreme volatility features.
The LOHC technology addresses this challenges as the LOHC carrier will serve as a battery for hydrogen. Compared to conventional methods, the LOHC concept allows safer and more efficient storage and transportation of hydrogen.
Clariant designed EleMax H 101and EleMax D 101catalysts for LOHC hydrogenation and dehydrogenation respectively.
Under the Power-to-X project, the LOHC research phase is sponsored for a term of three years, during which the team will upgrade the LOHC technology to industrial maturity from Research and Development (R&D).
Clariant R&D Catalysts head Marvin Estenfelder said: “Clariant is honored to participate in the Kopernikus initiative and to collaborate with pioneers like Hydrogenious Technologies. Sustainability is a strategic pillar of Clariant’s business strategy, and we are committed to leveraging our innovation capabilities to solve current and future global challenges.”