Project description
Reactor technology for sustainable ammonia cracking
Hydrogen is crucial for a net-zero economy, but has high transportation and storage costs. Ammonia, which stores hydrogen efficiently and has a global distribution network, can help. Although hydrogen can be converted to ammonia and back, current ammonia cracking technologies are inefficient and rely on fossil fuels. The EU-funded H2SITE project aims to transform ammonia cracking through a membrane reactor technology. This efficient, catalyst-agnostic system integrates ammonia separation and cracking at lower temperatures, significantly reducing both capital and operational costs. The project will develop a minimum viable product capable of producing 1 tonne of ammonia per day at the Port of Antwerp, enabling scalability and adaptation for maritime use and other applications.
Objective
Context – The role of Ammonia as an Enabler of the Hydrogen Economy
Hydrogen is crucial for transitioning to a net-zero economy, especially for hard-to-decarbonize industries and the maritime sector. However, its transportation and storage pose significant challenges, adding up to 300% to its production cost . Ammonia, with its high hydrogen storage capacity and existing global distribution infrastructure, offers a promising solution for hydrogen on demand.
The problem – Ammonia cracking is not optimized
Hydrogen can be converted to ammonia and back again by conversion and cracking processes. While conversion processes are optimized, current ammonia cracking technologies are inefficient, costly, and heavily reliant on fossil fuels, making them unsuitable for widespread adoption.
Solution – Optimized, scalable, autonomous, low GHG, low cost, on-demand hydrogen
Our project at H2SITE aims to revolutionize ammonia cracking with our novel membrane reactor technology. This technology integrates ammonia separation in a single step at lower temperatures, reducing both CAPEX and OPEX. It is catalyst agnostic, modular, and can be integrated with an ammonia burner, making it highly efficient and scalable. By producing just 0.5 gCO2eq/MJ (post-EIC) compared to 25 gCO2eq/MJ from conventional processes, while our current level stands at 2.7 gCO2eq/MJ, our solution achieves at least 95% GHG reduction compared to natural gas-based alternatives, with the potential for zero emissions.
EIC Project – Bringing Ammonia Cracking to Industrial and Maritime Applications
We are currently at TRL6 and need support from the EIC to develop and demonstrate a 1 ton per day MVP in the Port of Antwerp. This will enable us to scale up our technology, and adapt it for the maritime segment and other applications, representing a €77Bn market opportunity.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
This project's classification has been human-validated.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
This project's classification has been human-validated.
- engineering and technology industrial biotechnology bioprocessing technologies
- engineering and technology chemical engineering chemical process engineering
- engineering and technology environmental engineering energy and fuels renewable energy hydrogen energy
- engineering and technology environmental engineering energy and fuels energy conversion
Keywords
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
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HORIZON.3.1 - The European Innovation Council (EIC)
MAIN PROGRAMME
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Topic(s)
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
HORIZON-EIC-ACC - HORIZON EIC Accelerator
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Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) HORIZON-EIC-2025-ACCELERATOR-02
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Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.
48180 LOIU
Spain
The organization defined itself as SME (small and medium-sized enterprise) at the time the Grant Agreement was signed.
The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.