Hydrogenious LOHC Technologies GmbH and Johannes Østensjø dy AS have founded the joint venture company Hydrogenious LOHC Maritime AS.

The aim is to develop and market emission-free liquid organic hydrogen carrier (LOHC)-based applications for shipping, having a commercial product ready for operation from 2025. The focus is on onboard LOHC/fuel cell propulsion systems on a megawatt scale. By binding the hydrogen to the LOHC, this will be a particularly safe technology. Moreover, Hydrogenious’ Liquid Organic Hydrogen Carrier applies to conventional bunkering facilities onboard as well as in the ports. The funding agency Enova, owned by the Norwegian Ministry of Climate and Environment, announced today to support the joint venture’s initial project HyNjord with NOK 26 MM.

Hydrogen handling made easy

German based Hydrogenious LOHC Technology GmbH has developed and patented the LOHC technology for safe and efficient storage and transportation of hydrogen, which the company says will revolutionize the supply chain for hydrogen. The unique feature is that hydrogen is chemically bonded to the low-toxic, non-explosive and low-cost carrier oil, which can be used to store and transport large quantities of hydrogen under ambient conditions, using the already existing fossil fuel infrastructure. The carrier oil Hydrogenious LOHC uses – Benzyltoluene – can be loaded and unloaded with hydrogen many hundreds of times and is recyclable many times over.

"We see a need to develop technologies for the use of various zero-emission energy carriers. LOHC will be a new alternative to compressed and fluid hydrogen, and the different energy carriers will probably have different advantages and areas of application," said Øyvind Leistad, Marketing Director in Enova. The HyNjord LOHC-project will give us valuable information in order to contribute for hydrogen to become a real alternative to fossil fuels."