Page 170 - CW E-Magazine (28-11-2023)

News from Abroad

ELECTROLYSIS CATALYSTS

Heraeus and Sibanye-Stillwater partner to improve

green hydrogen production

Germany’s Heraeus Precious Metals, dresses the iridium supply problem, but
in partnership with South African also makes economic sense.
mining and metals processing group,
Sibanye-Stillwater, has developed a Ruthenium and iridium are used
new technology – a ruthenium-based together in several industrial chemical
catalyst for Proton Exchange Mem- processes, including the manufacture of
brane (PEM) water electrolysis that will acetic acid, a key bulk chemical.
improve the sustainability of green of iridium mined annually and wide- Mr. Neal Froneman, CEO of Sibanye-Still
hydrogen production by reducing mate- spread utilisation in various industries, water, said that as the largest producer
rial costs and the reliance on iridium, supply bottlenecks are imminent unless of primary iridium globally, the company
a highly scarce and expensive resource. solutions are implemented that reduce believe that sustainable demand for
Heraeus has developed a rutheni- the amount of iridium used in the these metals, with supply in mind, is
um-based catalyst for PEM water electro- PEM application. “The ruthenium- beneficial for the entire industry. Along-
lysis, combining the high activity of based catalyst can enable an 85% saving side iridium, ruthenium also catalyses
ruthenium-based catalysts with a so-far on iridium compared to an iridium the Oxygen Evolution Reaction (OER),
unachieved stability during hydrogen oxide catalyst, alleviating the potential which is the critical stage in PEM elec-
production. supply concerns. The primary produc- trolysis. Ruthenium possesses superior
tion of ruthenium is 3.5 times that of catalytic activity to iridium, but lacks
According to the Hydrogen Council, iridium, said the group. stability in the challenging conditions of
a green hydrogen capacity of 175-GW a PEM electrolyser stack. The Heraeus
is expected by 2030. Notably, 40% is Dr. Philipp Walter, EVP New Busi- concept solves this problem by combin-
expected to be produced using PEM ness Development, Heraeus, said the ing both ruthenium and iridium oxide
electrolysis, a technology dependent on dramatic reduction in capital expendi- in a novel manner, enhancing stability
iridium, an element in extremely limi- ture needed per GW enabled by the new while maintaining the increased cataly-
ted supply. With only about 9-tonnes ruthenium-based catalyst not only ad- tic activity provided by ruthenium.

COLLABORATION
Air Liquide, Eneos announce low-carbon hydrogen

partnership in Japan

French industrial gases group, development of low-carbon hydrogen
Air Liquide, and Eneos Corporation, production, using both CCUS and elec-
Japan’s leading energy company, have trolysis technologies. Furthermore, they
signed a MoU on accelerating the will examine possible collaboration in
development of low-carbon hydrogen the development of an international liq-
in Japan. uid hydrogen supply chain to serve the
Japanese market from abroad. Down-
This partnership intends to capita- stream, the partnership will envisage
lise on Eneos’ infrastructure and market as well as mastery of Carbon Capture, joint initiatives to develop hydrogen
presence in Japan as well as on Air Utilisation and Storage (CCUS). mobility in Japan, including through a
Liquide’s more than 60 years of expertise hydrogen refuelling station infrastruc-
across the entire hydrogen value chain – This partnership will span the whole ture. In addition, Air Liquide and Eneos
from production, liquefaction, trans- value chain of low-carbon hydrogen. will explore a collaboration in innova-
port, storage and distribution to usages – Upstream, the partners will study the tion along the hydrogen supply chain.

170 Chemical Weekly November 28, 2023

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