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Evonik : enabling sustainable gas economy
Building on its expertise in polymer chemistry , Evonik has propelled itself to the forefront of innovation in gas separation membranes . Recently , the chemical giant has expanded its portfolio of highperformance membranes to drive the transition of today ’ s conventional energy supply to a sustainable gas economy of tomorrow . By developing the SEPURAN ® Noble membrane for hydrogen recovery and the DURAION ® membrane for green hydrogen production , the company is intensifying its efforts to drive sustainability through technological innovation .
By Matjaž Matošec
It was only in 2010 that Evonik launched SEPURAN ® Green , its first membrane , which has revolutionised biogas upgrading . Since then , the SEPURAN ® family of hollow-fibre membranes has grown substantially and now includes modules for the separation , recovery and / or purification of many other gases , including hydrogen . The company ’ s latest product is the flatsheet anion exchange membrane DURAION ® for the next generation of electrolytic hydrogen production . To learn more about these innovations , we spoke with Goetz Baumgarten , Vice President of Membranes at Evonik .
Polymer expertise
Mr . Baumgarten joined Evonik ( then Degussa ) in 2005 , and it was around that time that the foundations of the membrane business were being laid . “ The idea to become a membrane producer was triggered by the discovery that our polymers had been coming back to us in the form of membranes as part of installations used in our own operations ,” he recollects . “ We then quickly realised that our polymer expertise , gas-processing know-how , R & DI excellence , and manufacturing capabilities provide us with everything that is required to develop and
10 Hydrogen Tech World | Issue 6 | October 2022