The Linde Group develops sustainable hydrogen production process

Munich - The technology group The Linde Group is developing an innovative process for the sustainable production of hydrogen from biogenic raw materials. Hydromotive GmbH, a subsidiary of The Linde Group, is to build a demonstration plant from mid-2009 at the chemical site in Leuna, Germany, which will produce hydrogen from glycerine. The feedstock glycerine is a by-product of biodiesel production and further processing of glycerine therefore makes good sense.

“Promising opportunities for the sustainable cost-effective production of hydrogen are presented by the use of biogenic raw materials,” said Dr Aldo Belloni, member of the Executive Board of Linde AG. “With this innovative patented process, we have taken yet another step towards low-emission energy supply using hydrogen.”

The plant, which will reprocess, pyrolyse and reform raw glycerine and will come on stream in mid-2010, will produce a hydrogen-rich gas, which will be fed into the existing Leuna II hydrogen plant for the purification and liquefaction of the hydrogen. The “green” liquefied hydrogen produced there will initially be used in German centres such as Berlin and Hamburg where hydrogen is being employed as a fuel.

As a result of its high hydrogen content, raw glycerine, which arises in the course of biodiesel manufacture, is particularly suited for the production of hydrogen. The potential benefit of biomass (per hectare) is exploited to an even greater extent by the conversion of glycerine into hydrogen for the production of fuel. Biogenically produced glycerine will not be in competition with food production and is available all year round.

As the world’s largest manufacturer of hydrogen plants, Linde has access to the full range of technology required for the use of hydrogen as an energy carrier - from production to filling. Linde is a leader in the fitting out of hydrogen filling stations and its filling technology is available in more than in 15 countries. When hydrogen is used as a fuel, no harmful emissions at all are produced.

The Linde Group is a world leading gases and engineering company with almost 52,000 employees working in around 100 countries worldwide. In the 2008 financial year, it achieved sales of 12.7 billion euro. The strategy of The Linde Group is geared towards sustainable earnings-based growth and focuses on the expansion of its international business with forward-looking products and services. Linde acts responsibly towards its shareholders, business partners, employees, society and the environment - in every one of its business areas, regions and locations across the globe. Linde is committed to technologies and products that unite the goals of customer value and sustainable development.

For more information, please see The Linde Group online at http://www.linde.com