Commodities trading company Trafigura and US-based Amogy have launched a joint project to study the feasibility of large-scale cracking technology to convert ammonia back into hydrogen.

The development of this technology is seen as crucial to the growth of the international hydrogen trade, which is initially expected to be based on seaborne ammonia that will then be cracked back to hydrogen at ports for distribution to regional demand centres.

“At Trafigura, we recognise that hydrogen will need to be transported over long distances, from regions rich in renewable power to demand hubs. Ammonia is a cost-competitive carrier of hydrogen that will require cracking at destination to cater to different end uses,” says Margaux Moore, head of energy transition research at Trafigura.

“We believe ammonia cracking will be a key enabling technology for the large-scale uptake of clean hydrogen. Our work with Amogy will help us understand the economics of this supply chain, to deliver the most competitive low-carbon hydrogen to our customers.”

New York-based Amogy and Trafigura will initiate a joint research effort tasked with identifying and assessing scenarios in which ammonia cracking technology can be deployed, starting with Europe, which is targeting 20mn t/yr of hydrogen consumption by 2030. Using economic models and energy demand forecasts, the two companies will determine the viability and cost effectiveness of industrial-scale ammonia crackers. Amogy has already completed successful demonstrations of its proprietary cracking technology.

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Author: Stuart Penson