Linde Group to Create ‘Green’ Hydrogen from Biodiesel Byproduct

One of the significant challenges ahead for hydrogen transportation is developing a ‘green’ and affordable way to create hydrogen fuel. That’s no small thing considering most hydrogen used today is created by reforming natural gas, a fossil fuel.

Work on this continues apace. One example is presented by the Linde Group, which reports that it’s developing an innovative process for sustainable hydrogen production from biogenic raw materials through its subsidiary, Hydromotive GmbH. Production of hydrogen from glycerin is the plan, and it’s a synergistic one since the glycerin feedstock is a byproduct of biodiesel production.

The beauty of this process is that the energy potential from each acre of biomass used is exploited to an even greater degree than is typical today because two renewable fuels are being created. Importantly, biogenically produced glycerin will not be in competition with food production and is available year round rather than just seasonally.

Hydromotive will begin construction of a demonstration plant this year at its chemical site in Leuna, Germany. Scheduled to come on stream in mid-2010, the plant will reprocess, pyrolyze, and reform raw glycerin, producing a hydrogen-rich gas that will be fed into the company’s existing Leuna II hydrogen plant for purification and liquefaction. The ‘green’ liquefied hydrogen produced here will initially be used in German cities like Berlin and Hamburg where hydrogen is already being used as a motor fuel.