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Hydrogenious LOHC Technologies GmbH has developed a hydrogen-carrier oil binding technique. As a result of this success, the firm has been nominated for a German Entrepreneurial Award (Deutscher Gründerpreis) in 2021.
Hydrogenious’ LOHC technology uses an exothermic catalytic method to bind hydrogen molecules to the organic carrier (dibenzyltoluene). 57 kilogram of H2 is absorbed per cubic meter of LOHC. The LOHC maintains its liquid condition across a wide temperature and pressure range. As a result, it may be transported using existing gasoline infrastructure.
At 300°C, dehydrogenation (the release of H2 from the carrier) is an endothermic process that requires around 11 kWhth/kgH2.
Porsche Consulting will assist Hydrogenious in its quest to expand its operations.
How to make substantial amounts of green hydrogen available in economically feasible ways is one issue for the adoption of green hydrogen as part of a clean energy plan. Imports from Spain, the Middle East, Africa, and Australia, for example, play a significant role. However, storing and transporting this volatile gas has proven challenging thus far. The firm Hydrogenious LOHC Technologies, located in Erlangen, Bavaria, offers a solution: it has invented a technique for binding green hydrogen to an organic carrier—oil. As a result, the gas may be stored and transferred in normal circumstances. The oil is then utilized for the following load when it is discharged.
The LOHC method can store five times as much hydrogen as compression technologies due to its high storage density.
The firm’s head of strategy, Dr. Andreas Lehmann, points out that the corporation can use all of the infrastructure instruments that are already in place for traditional fuels like diesel, such as oil tankers, pumps, and tanker trucks. Furthermore, because it can be handled and kept under regular conditions, the oil is extremely stable and secure. It’s not explosive or volatile, and it doesn’t produce any poisonous or corrosive fumes like ammonia.
Multiple demonstration sites are actively testing the technique. The largest is expected to be built at CHEMPARK in Dormagen, with a storage capacity of five tons per day.
The firm, which currently has 45 patents and employs 125 people, formed a joint venture with the Scandinavian shipping company Johannes stensj dy AS in July of this year. The joint venture Hydrogenious LOHC Maritime AS is intended to develop and commercialize a novel emission-free LOHC-based application for the maritime industry. As early as 2024, the first ship outfitted with the revolutionary technology “invented in Erlangen” might set sail.
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