Industry Update
HYBRIT: large-scale storage of green hydrogen successfully proven The results of HYBRIT’ s pilot project for hydrogen gas storage demonstrate that it is technically feasible to store fossil-free hydrogen gas for the production of fossil-free iron and steel on an industrial scale. This can also reduce the variable operating costs of hydrogen production by up to 40 %.
The HYBRIT initiative was launched in 2016 by owners SSAB, LKAB, and Vattenfall, with the aim of developing the world’ s first fossilfree, ore-based iron- and steelmaking process using fossil-free electricity and hydrogen gas. The project for the production of fossil-free sponge iron for steel production( DR pilot) is now being followed up with the results of the pilot for fossil-free hydrogen gas production and storage. This project has been completed and reported to the Swedish Energy Agency. The project has successfully designed and constructed a 100 m ³ hydrogen storage facility based on steel-lined rock cavern technology in Svartöberget, adjacent to the DR pilot for sponge iron production in Luleå, Sweden. The completed tests demonstrate that the technology works to support a large-scale hydrogen user and that savings of approximately 25 – 40 % in the variable operating costs of hydrogen gas production could be achieved. The pilot storage facility has undergone accelerated mechanical testing equivalent to approximately 50 years of operation, successfully demonstrating its safety, functionality, and performance.
Evonik’ s new AEM plant to support 2.5 GW of electrolysis capacity Evonik is building a pilot plant in Marl, Germany, for the production of its anion exchange membrane( AEM), marketed under the name DURAION ®. The company is investing a low double-digit million-euro amount in the AEM plant, which is scheduled to go online at the end of 2025.
The DURAION ® membranes produced at the AEM plant in Marl will be of a quality suitable for use in commercial electrolyzer systems. Once fully operational, the plant will have the capacity to produce enough membranes each year to support 2.5 GW of electrolysis capacity for hydrogen production. Additionally, it will be capable of manufacturing reinforced membranes, directly addressing growing customer interest in this emerging technology.
Compared to conventional electrolysis processes, AEM technology promises lower investment costs due to the use of less expensive materials for the cells. Furthermore, the technology enables high current densities and high efficiency.
Over the past twelve months, Evonik has steadily increased the production capacity of the intermediate products used in DURAION ® membranes. The construction of the Marl plant builds on this expanded capacity and represents the next step in the company’ s planned growth of its membrane business.
50 Hydrogen Tech World | Issue 21 | April 2025