The engineering arm of industrial gas giant Linde will work alongside energy and chemicals specialist Saudi Aramco to jointly develop a new ammonia cracking technology.
Having signed an agreement yesterday (March 15th), the partners plan to build a demonstration plant in northern Germany to showcase a new ammonia cracking catalyst, jointly developed by Aramco and the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST).
The technology will be offered by Linde Engineering to ‘current and new customers’ with the intent to create new commercial opportunities within the global lower carbon energy supply chain.
By helping to develop the emerging lower carbon ammonia business, the agreement may help bridge the gap between a country’s domestic renewable energy production capacity and total energy demand.
Stating that the ammonia cracking technology supports the world’s ‘urgent need’ for decarbonisation, John van der Velden, Senior Vice President Global Sales & Technology at Linde Engineering, added, “By completing the missing link in the export chain, cleaner energy can be shipped from regions with high renewable and clean energy potential to those with more limited resources.
“We look forward to working closely with Aramco to develop and commercialise this important technology, creating new business opportunities for Linde Engineering and Aramco.”
Ammonia cracking is the process by which ammonia is decomposed towards hydrogen and nitrogen over a catalyst.
The process has been linked to decarbonisation of hard-to-abate areas such as the maritime sector and aviation.
“This agreement is part of our ongoing technology and business development efforts to establish a commercially viable lower-carbon hydrogen supply chain,” said Ahmad Al-Khowaiter, Senior Vice President and Chief Technology Officer at Aramco.
“We believe the advanced ammonia cracking technology we are co-developing with Linde Engineering will play a key role in realising our objectives.”
