French multinational Air Liquide, a company with a strong focus on innovation and the energy transition, has started up an ammonia cracker in the Antwerp-Bruges port area. This is a pilot plant that cracks ammonia and converts it into hydrogen. According to Air Liquide, this is a world first, and the project will save more than 300,000 tons of CO2 annually.
“Ammonia cracked technology enables global access to low-carbon, renewable hydrogen, and paves the way for new low-carbon hydrogen supply chains,” says Air Liquide. For example, hydrogen can help chemical companies reduce their dependence on fossil fuels, and it can also be used for heavy transport (e.g., trucks), maritime transport, and even aviation.
From gas to ammonia
Air Liquide was already producing hydrogen at the Port of Antwerp-Bruges, specifically at the Covestro site, for various chemical companies and refineries in the area. However, this hydrogen is made from gas, a fossil fuel. With the new installation, hydrogen is no longer produced from gas but from ammonia, enabling it to be produced without emitting CO2.
Transporting hydrogen is also a complex matter, especially over long distances, and in any case, it is more difficult than producing and transporting ammonia. That is why the industry prefers to transport ammonia, which is then converted into hydrogen near the end user—the machine can convert up to 30 tons of ammonia per day into hydrogen.
Ammonia, a highly toxic substance, is formed by hydrogen and nitrogen molecules. It can be produced in regions with abundant sunlight and wind, such as Oman, Chile, and Namibia.
Air Liquide hopes to export ammonia from those regions to Europe eventually, then ‘crack’ it into hydrogen here, for example, in the Port of Antwerp-Bruges, which wants to position itself as Europe’s green energy gateway.
Substantial EU support
For the Port of Antwerp-Bruges, the project is therefore a crucial link in realizing its ambitions as a hydrogen hub. The port is already collaborating with Air Liquide on Hydrotug 1, the world’s first hydrogen-powered tugboat.
Air Liquide, with employees in 60 countries and more than 4 million customers, positions itself as the largest hydrogen producer in the region. Through Antwerp@C, an initiative of BASF, Borealis, ExxonMobil, INEOS, TotalEnergies, and Fluxys, they are also involved in large-scale carbon capture & storage (CCS) projects in the port.
The Flemish government supported the industrial-scale pilot plant through VLAIO. The European Commission has also allocated 110 million euros in subsidies for Air Liquide’s green project.
