- Air Liquide has successfully started up what it calls the world’s first industrial-scale ammonia cracking pilot unit, capable of converting 30 tons of ammonia per day into hydrogen.
- The company says the facility, located at the Port of Antwerp-Bruges, represents a major technological step toward enabling large-scale, low-carbon hydrogen supply chains.
The pilot unit demonstrates a critical technology needed to convert ammonia into hydrogen efficiently — a process considered essential for solving one of the hydrogen sector’s biggest challenges: long-distance transportation. Ammonia, produced by combining hydrogen and nitrogen, is widely viewed as a cost-effective hydrogen carrier. It can be manufactured in regions with abundant renewable or low-carbon energy and shipped through an already mature global ammonia infrastructure. Once delivered, the ammonia can be “cracked” back into hydrogen for industrial and mobility applications.
Air Liquide said the new cracking technology broadens its portfolio of solutions for producing low-carbon and renewable hydrogen. The company developed several proprietary innovations for the project, including advancements in process safety, material testing, catalysis, ammonia combustion, and efficient separation of the resulting molecules. The commissioning of the pilot unit also highlights Air Liquide’s ability to scale technologies from laboratory research to industrial deployment.
Armelle Levieux, a member of Air Liquide’s Executive Committee overseeing Innovation, Technology, and Hydrogen Energy, called the launch “a key milestone.”
“This is a world’s first which paves the way for new low-carbon hydrogen supply chains,” Levieux said. “By proving the viability of industrial-scale ammonia cracking, Air Liquide demonstrates its capacity to innovate and provide concrete solutions for its customers, contributing to the energy transition. I am immensely proud of the work and commitment of all our teams who made this achievement possible.”
Author: Bryan Groenendaal
