Never before has sustainability and decarbonisation been such a hotbed of activity, and an imperative area of focus, for the gases industry. This is a topic that dominates headlines and project activity today – and can only be expected to do so even more in future.
Jose Ramon Calvo of Nippon Gases Europe, Stephen B. Harrison of sbh4 consulting, and Joel H. Moser, CEO of First Ammonia, all have first hand experience of the opportunities and challenges facing the industry when it comes to developing sustainable, circular economies.
When it comes to hydrogen, there is no escaping the industry-wide hype. But Calvo sounded a note of caution.
”When we are analysing replacement of fossil fuels by green or low-carbon hydrogen, we have to take into consideration the volume that you need to compensate. We are not always using hydrogen as a fuel replacement. All the industries are testing how hydrogen can perform. From a cost and production point of view, today, it is impossible; that’s why some industries, like steel, are trying to replace BF (blast furnace) with DRI (direct reduced iron). It’s a case by case basis. My opinion is that hydrogen can be used, but in some cases it’s not the best option.”
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