Hyundai Rotem, a South Korean company, plans to begin mass manufacturing of hydrogen extractors that generate hydrogen from natural gas in February, in order to fulfill the rising need for carbon reduction both at home and overseas.
According to industry sources on Wednesday, Hyundai Rotem has produced five hydrogen extractors since the factory began operations in December 2020. The plant, which will produce 20 hydrogen extractors each year, is set to start mass production next month.
Given manufacturing demands from overseas industries, the company aims to export the hydrogen extractors it has already provided to local clients.
“Demand is likely to rise in abroad regions like Europe, where hydrogen charging infrastructure is being built,” said Joo Young-jin, the hydrogen business team head at Hyundai Rotem.
Hyundai Rotem has been growing its investment in the hydrogen market since its largest shareholder, Hyundai Motor Co., aspires to create a hydrogen society by 2040, in which the clean energy source is used not just for transportation but also for a wide range of industries.
The first hydrogen extractor from Hyundai Rotem was installed at a local food waste disposal facility. By extracting methane from the gas and reacting it with water, the system obtains hydrogen from biogas derived from food waste. Through the gadget, the foul gas is converted to hydrogen with a purity of 99.995 percent.
Because animal manure and garbage create biogas, the business is doing research to employ hydrogen extractors on farms and other waste disposal locations.
The remaining four units were sent to hydrogen stations that charge hydrogen cars like Hyundai Motor’s first dedicated fuel cell electric vehicle Nexo. A single hydrogen extractor can create 640 kilos of hydrogen per day, which is enough to charge 128 Nexos. The capacity is more than double that of a hydrogen transport trailer, which can only carry 200-300 kg.
Except for consumable catalysts, the firm manufactures 90% of hydrogen extractor components such as heat exchangers and pressure swing adsorbers (PSA).
It’s also working on a tiny carbon capture device for the hydrogen extractor, which releases a little amount of carbon dioxide while being designed to minimize greenhouse gas emissions.
Separately, Hyundai Rotem is nearing the end of negotiations with a local authority about establishing a liquid hydrogen charging station. Because liquid hydrogen has an 800-fold smaller volume than gaseous hydrogen, a tanker truck can deliver more than 3,000 kg at a time. Liquid hydrogen charging stations are critical to the hydrogen economy’s success.
In locations where charging infrastructure is lacking, Hyundai Rotem is developing mobile hydrogen refueling stations, which are typically used by hydrogen-powered construction equipment and emergency vehicles.
