German university launches research for sustainable cycle for hydrogen production
In Germany, Paderborn University said that making the hydrogen value chain more sustainable and reducing dependence on critical raw materials are the goals of a new research project involving the Advanced Systems Engineering group at the Heinz Nixdorf Institute (HNI) at Paderborn University.
“Hydrogen is a versatile energy carrier and storage medium and is intended to replace fossil fuels such as crude oil or natural gas in the long term. Among other things, it is used for the production of ammonia, which is required for fertilizers, in the steel industry and in heavy goods transport,” the university said. “It can also store surplus wind and solar power, which is a particular advantage in the expansion of renewable energies. However, hydrogen cannot yet be produced completely sustainably. The project partners, led by Ruhr-Universität Bochum, want to counteract this problem with their concept and establish a sustainable value chain in the industry in the long term,” it added.
The project partners are developing a concept with the help of which the raw materials should ideally be completely reused and the value chain made resilient.
“As a first step, the scientists at the HNI are analyzing the existing value creation system and deriving requirements for a circular product, process and business model design. This also takes into account requirements for a digital product passport to support transparency and traceability along the life cycle. Building on this, they develop various business model approaches together with the project partners in iterative, i.e. repetitive and gradually refining work cycles. These are evaluated both qualitatively and quantitatively, for example using simulations, and analyzed in terms of their feasibility and economic viability for companies,” it added.
Category: Research
