Learn more about our solutions for the green transformation
Explore innovative technologies for green hydrogen and ammonia
Green ammoniaThe revolution of hydrogen transport
Green hydrogen is a promising and sustainable energy source. However, its transportation is anything but energy-efficient. Our colleagues from thyssenkrupp Uhde explain why transporting pure liquid hydrogen by ship is not sustainable and why green ammonia is a good solution.
Why Europe needs to import green hydrogen
Green hydrogen is the beacon of hope for a greener future and can make numerous industries more sustainable. But there is still a long way to go before the hydrogen economy is established. This is because Europe and countries such as Germany, Japan and Korea will not be able to cover their hydrogen requirements themselves in the near future. They will have to rely on imports of green hydrogen.
"The cheapest green hydrogen is produced in regions with a large availability of inexpensive renewable energy," explains Dr. Ralph Kleinschmidt, Head of Technology and Innovation at thyssenkrupp Uhde. "These are mainly countries in the southern hemisphere, such as Australia and Chile, or from the Middle East and North Africa." For hydrogen imports, this means that large quantities of hydrogen are transported over long distances to Europe and Asia.
thyssenkrupp Uhde combines 100 years of tradition with innovation. With production capacities for green ammonia on an industrial scale, our experts can help create CO2-free value chains for the future.
In addition, a lot of energy is required to transport hydrogen over long distances by ship. This is because the gas must first be cooled to very low temperatures and liquefied for transportation. This is a complex and, above all, energy-intensive process for which there is currently no established infrastructure. An efficient and sustainable alternative is therefore needed to fully exploit the climate-friendly effect of green hydrogen.
What contribution green ammonia can make to establishing the hydrogen economy
This is where green ammonia comes into play. Ammonia can be used as a hydrogen and energy carrier and is already traded in large quantities worldwide. Around 20 million tons of ammonia are currently transported by sea every year.
What is the advantage of green ammonia? It requires less energy for liquefaction and transport. Ammonia has a higher volumetric energy density than liquid hydrogen, so more energy can be transported using ammonia than using liquid hydrogen for the same volume.
Added to this is the experience of safe transportation and the existence of an established global infrastructure for ammonia. Once the green ammonia has been shipped, it can be split back into green hydrogen and nitrogen in the destination countries or used directly.
The role of green ammonia in the transportation of hydrogen
Green ammonia is therefore an ideal hydrogen and energy carrier. It is easy, safe and cheap to transport. And it is already the second most traded chemical in the world. Ports, ships and tank farms - the infrastructure is in place. The acrid-smelling gas also has another advantage, explains Dr. Christian Renk: "Green ammonia burns climate-neutrally to nitrogen and water, so it can also be used as an additional fuel in gas-fired power plants or as fuel for ships. In the future, green ammonia could not only be used as an energy source for the transportation of green hydrogen, but could also power the ships required for this without causing CO2 emissions.
Plant technology from thyssenkrupp along the entire hydrogen value chain
thyssenkrupp Uhde and thyssenkrupp nucera together combine over 100 years of experience in plant engineering for ammonia and electrolysis plants. This makes thyssenkrupp the only group of companies worldwide that can offer the entire hydrogen value chain from water electrolysis, ammonia production and storage to ammonia cracking - the reconversion of ammonia into hydrogen. This is a future market that will become increasingly important in the coming years and is already attracting the interest of many customers today.
"There is a great deal of interest among current ammonia producers in reducing CO2 emissions. Today, these are mainly located where natural gas is cheap, e.g. in the USA, the Middle East or North Africa, explains Dr. Ralph Kleinschmidt, Head of Technology and Innovation at thyssenkrupp Uhde. "New additions include customers from regions where renewable energy is available at low cost, as well as customers for hydrogen produced from green ammonia, such as energy suppliers from Europe, Japan and Korea."
Green ammonia - a key technology
Green ammonia is therefore increasingly playing a key role in establishing green hydrogen as an energy carrier and a sustainable hydrogen economy. With the expertise of the colleagues at thyssenkrupp Uhde and thyssenkrupp nucera, the thyssenkrupp Group is making an important contribution to the successful energy transition.