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Government decarbonisation targets require the ceramics sector to develop a radical and accelerated step change in operations. This means that multiple deep decarbonisation technology solutions will need to be developed, demonstrated, and deployed at pace.
Within the PROGREEN H2 project, we propose to develop an innovative green hydrogen production system to support fuel switching within the ceramics industry.
Our proposed technology will produce green ammonia using renewable electricity sources and low energy feedstocks including seawater and nitrogen via nonthermal plasma (NTP) catalysis. The generated ammonia will then be converted into hydrogen in a catalytic membrane reactor.
This hydrogen will then be utilised within the firing kilns within the ceramics industry.
To overcome these limitations in existing technologies, it is important to develop a new generation of green hydrogen production technology that is cost competitive, sustainable and efficient in material and energy use.
We must understand if it is both feasible and possible to switch to 100% green hydrogen within the ceramic industry’s manufacturing process, and then subsequently determine the impact it has on the ceramic products.
Our proposed technology will produce green ammonia using renewable electricity sources and low energy feedstocks including seawater and nitrogen via nonthermal plasma (NTP) catalysis.
The generated ammonia is converted to hydrogen in a catalytic membrane reactor.
This hydrogen will then be utilised within the firing kilns within the ceramics industry.
The use of ammonia as an intermediate means it is easier and less energy intensive to liquify, and it contains more hydrogen per volume than liquified hydrogen.
Current production routes for green hydrogen, mainly through electrochemical process, are expensive and uncompetitive due to the limited efficiency of the-state-of-the-art technologies. In addition, these technologies use freshwater feedstock, which has the potential to put pressure on available freshwater resources.
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The Industrial Hydrogen Accelerator (IHA) is an innovation funding programme to support the demonstration of end-to-end industrial fuel switching to hydrogen, through funding provided by BEIS.
This funding has been made available from the government’s £1 billion Net Zero Innovation Portfolio, which looks to accelerate the commercialisation of low-carbon technologies and systems.
The scope includes the full technology chain, from hydrogen generation and delivery infrastructure through to industrial end-use, including the integration of the components in a single project.
Government decarbonisation targets require the whole ceramics sector to develop a radical and accelerated step change in operations. This means that multiple deep decarbonisation technology solutions will need to be developed, demonstrated, and deployed at pace.
One such technology is the use of hydrogen as a fuel for kiln firing to replace natural gas. Currently the ceramics industry uses 3.8terra watt hours of natural gas per year and produces approximately. 1.2 million tonnes/year of CO2.Modelling studies carried out for the Department of Energy & Climate Change and BEIS suggested that emissions could be reduced by up to 60%, compared to 2012, if technical options such as fuel switching are undertaken.
Initial transition studies have been taking place in the use of hydrogen up to 20% in natural gas blends. However, it is expected that to meet the stringent decarbonisation targets, blends of up to 100% hydrogen will be required by the ceramics and other foundation industries.
Transforming the Ceramic Industry with green hydrogen fuel
