The company has joined Germany’s TransHyDE project AmmoRef, which is tasked to develop process technologies and catalysts for ammonia cracking to facilitate future hydrogen transport, including long distances.

With €14 MM in funding from the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF), AmmoRef is part of the overarching €135 MM TransHyDE project, which aims to revolutionize the nation’s hydrogen transport infrastructure in preparation for a sweeping energy transition. TransHyDE is one of three hydrogen flagship projects aiming to prepare Germany’s entry into a hydrogen economy.

Clariant’s will use its knowledge of the chemical reactions and catalytic processes to develop new and improved generations of its existing ammonia cracking catalysts. Furthermore, Clariant provides its benchmark ammonia synthesis catalyst AmoMax 10 Plus, for the synthesis of green ammonia. 

The company will be collaborating non-exclusively with other partners in academia and industry, amongst others are Prof. Schlögl (Max Planck Institute, Berlin and Mühlheim), Prof. Muhler (Ruhr-University Bochum), Prof. Behrens (University of Kiel), Prof. Lerch (Technical University of Berlin), as well as Thyssenkrupp and BASF.

Clariant is also involved in other major projects involving renewable hydrogen value chains. These include the Kopernikus initiative for advancing renewable energy and the Carbon2Chem program to reduce industrial CO₂ emissions, both of which are also sponsored by the BMBF.