BOC to collaborate with CSIRO on revolutionary $3.4m hydrogen project

BOC has announced it will support CSIRO during its $3.4 million ammonia to hydrogen cracking and membrane purification project that is set to revolutionise the global supply chain for hydrogen.

As part of a recently signed collaboration agreement, BOC will contribute in-kind gas products, equipment and technical expertise worth in excess of $100,000 for the two-year project now underway at CSIRO’s test site in Pullenvale, Brisbane.

BOC will supply ammonia, which will be cracked and purified into pure hydrogen by the modular membrane technology unit developed by CSIRO. BOC engineers will also assist with compressing the hydrogen and storing it in special cylinder packs, then distributing it to customers on the Australian east coast for use in hydrogen fuel cell vehicles.

General Manager Hydrogen Alex Dronoff said BOC is proud to be working with CSIRO researchers as they take a significant step forward in hydrogen technology, paving the way for a renewable hydrogen export market that could meet rising demand in emerging markets Europe, Japan and South Korea.

“As the only global organisation with expertise and technology that covers the entire hydrogen supply chain, BOC and The Linde Group are committed to working with Australian researchers and industry to help advance the global transition towards clean hydrogen for mobility and energy.

“We look forward to sharing our extensive experience with CSIRO as they enter the final development stages of the membrane technology device — providing advice on generation and storage, right through to transportation and refuelling of hydrogen-powered vehicles.”

CSIRO Energy Director Karl Rodrigues is excited by the growing global momentum to develop hydrogen energy systems, and the potential for a hydrogen export industry to benefit Australia.

“We’re pleased to be partnering with industry — including BOC — and look forward to applying CSIRO innovation to facilitate the creation of new low emissions energy markets.”

Dronoff added that the CSIRO project is a vital technology breakthrough that complements much of the pioneering work that The Linde Group has been driving for decades.

“With more than 150 fuelling stations built worldwide and over 1.5 million refuelling operations completed, Linde is continuously working on the expansion of hydrogen infrastructure. In August 2016 Linde launched BeeZero, the world’s first hydrogen-powered car-sharing service — and is a joint partner of the Energie Park Mainz project that produces and stores renewable hydrogen for mobility applications generated by electrolysis through wind energy at a grid-relevant scale.

“With this CSIRO technology, it will be easier and faster to replicate this success on an even larger scale. We are certainly excited by the significant role that Australia will play in making renewable hydrogen a fuel of the future.”

For more information on the CSIRO project, click here.