The CSIRO and RFC Ambrian have developed Hadean Energy, a new company to commercialise CSIRO’s tubular solid oxide electrolysis technology (SOE technology) aimed at reducing electricity consumption by 30% and helping decarbonise heavy industry.
The technology will be trialled at BlueScope‘s Port Kembla Steelworks to showcase the equipment at a pilot scale in an industrial setting.
Through process efficiencies, CSIRO’s SOE technology efficiently develops hydrogen by electrolysing water using a combination of heat and energy, and it promises to drastically cut hydrogen production costs and industry emissions.
According to the International Energy Agency, demand for hydrogen is predicted to grow 138% by 2030; however, high production costs and energy inputs are major barriers to creating green hydrogen.
CSIRO lead scientist on hydrogen research Dr Sarb Giddey said the development of tubular SOE technology is vital to producing more affordable and efficient hydrogen to assist industry in substantially reducing emissions.
“CSIRO’s SOE technology has the potential to produce hydrogen at a higher efficiency and lower cost for integration with industrial processes. It allows industrial waste heat to be integrated back into the industrial processes, which decreases the electrical energy required to produce hydrogen or syn-gas by up to 30 per cent,” Dr Giddey stated.
“It’s great news for industry, because integrating the hydrogen product back into industrial processes onsite also eliminates storage and transport costs while drastically reducing the use of fossil fuels in the industrial process,” Dr Giddey added.
The hydrogen product can be utilised as a feedstock for producing chemicals such as ammonia, petrochemical, methanol, dimethyl ether, and sustainable fuels, as well as in low-emission steelmaking and heavy transport. The absence of platinum group metals and nickel minimises reliance on global supply systems.
Hadean Energy will get exclusive rights to CSIRO’s SOE technology.
The BlueScope trial will begin in April 2024. Integration aspects and other trial findings will aid in demonstrating the technology on a larger scale and confirm the equipment’s technical robustness.
Tania Archibald, CEO of Australian Steel Products, stated that BlueScope supports the pilot project because it coincides with its sustainability goals.
“SOE has the potential to dramatically reduce the cost of hydrogen for low emissions steelmaking. The improved efficiency of SOE systems reduces energy consumption and reduces the electrical infrastructure required by electrolysers.” Archibald said.
RFC Ambrian operates a decarbonisation technology fund that invests in new technologies having the potential to decarbonise high-emission industries at an early stage.
According to RFC CIO Stefan Skorut, the technology is well-positioned to meet the existing industrial hydrogen industry, which is now nearly entirely sourced from fossil fuels.
“While SOE is the most efficient method of electrolysis, green hydrogen and synthetic fuels will remain uneconomic unless we address the scalability and cost of electrolysers,” Skorut said.
“CSIRO’s tubular SOE technology represents a step change improvement across these metrics.”
