Ammonigy, Heraeus Precious Metals and the Technical University of Darmstadt have partnered to demonstrate operations using cracked ammonia fuel in a four-stroke MAN test engine. The performance and efficiency of the test engine when running on ammonia-hydrogen fuel was comparable to natural gas operations, and use of an exhaust aftertreatment system reduced potentially harmful nitrogen-based emissions to near-zero levels.
Ammonia cracking tech provider Ammonigy and leading German brick manufacturer Juwö Poroton led the project, successfully demonstrating a pilot-sized brick kiln that runs on cracked ammonia fuel gas. The cracked ammonia-fired bricks were virtually “indistinguishable from bricks fired with natural gas”.
A study spearheaded by the West Australian state government and completed in collaboration between the Mid West Port Authority (Australia), Port of Rotterdam (Netherlands) and Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems has shown that renewable ammonia transportation from Western Australia to Germany via Rotterdam is technologically and economically feasible.
A demonstration scale ammonia cracker plant is under construction in Germany as part of a partnership between thyssenkrupp Uhde and Uniper. The plant, expected to be commissioned by the end of 2026, will handle about 28 tonnes per day of ammonia, and serve as a test case for the planned hydrogen import terminal at the port of Wilhelmshaven, northwestern Germany.
ISPT’s new report explores the design, technical, and safety considerations of a theoretical 550 km ammonia pipeline linking the Port of Rotterdam to Karlsruhe in Germany, carrying 7 million tons per year of ammonia.
Winning projects in the second round of the EU Hydrogen Bank auction have been announced. Requesting production subsidies similar to first round winners, fifteen renewable hydrogen projects will be funded over ten years, including two ammonia projects led by IGNIS in Spain. A third auction round is set to launch later this year.
BASF has launched a new renewable ammonia product to its customers. The product launch comes shortly after the company deployed a 54 MW PEM electrolyser at its Ludwigshaven manufacturing site for renewable hydrogen production.
Lantmännen has signed a three year agreement with Sweden-based dairy co-op Arla for the supply, distribution and use of fossil-free fertilizers. In Germany, OCI Global has begun supplying chemical manufacturer Lanxess with lower-emission ammonia from Rotterdam, and will supply agricultural co-op RWZ with lower-emission fertilizers.