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LOTTE and Sumitomo test technology to produce clean hydrogen
The adoption of an innovative technology to produce “clean” hydrogen will position LOTTE Chemical and Sumitomo as leaders in the hydrogen industry and advance goals to decarbonize South Korea.
LOTTE Fine Chemical (LOTTE Chemical HQ) and Sumitomo Corporation of Americas (SCOA), with Syzygy Plasmonics and LOTTE Chemical, South Korea’s leading chemical company, last week announced a joint development agreement to test a fully electric chemical reactor for clean hydrogen production. The reactor will be installed and brought online in the second half of 2023 at LOTTE Chemical (HQ) facilities in Ulsan, South Korea.
LOTTE Chemical HQ has defined clear pathways and directives for leading decarbonization efforts while simultaneously achieving record revenue growth, when they announced their 2030 Vision in May 2022. Among other climate-focused goals, the company is setting the stage to advance the hydrogen economy in South Korea. Plans include importing green ammonia that can be readily transported and stored before it is converted into clean hydrogen with expectations of generating 1.2 million tons of hydrogen per year domestically by 2030.
The traditional thermal “cracking” of ammonia uses high heat and pressure to convert it to hydrogen gas. The heat required to drive this process is achieved by burning fossil fuels, making ammonia cracking extremely carbon intensive. Using fully electric reactors gives hydrogen producers a way to reduce or eliminate their reliance on combustion as the energy source for processing ammonia.
SCOA first invested in Syzygy Plasmonics, which is eliminating the need to burn fossil fuels in chemical manufacturing, in 2019. A pioneer in industrial decarbonization, Syzygy has developed platform reactor technology that uses light from ultra-high-efficiency LEDs to power chemical reactions by removing the need for heat from burning fuel, which is how traditional carbon intensive chemical reactors are powered. Syzygy’s process offers a new way to electrify chemical manufacturing and eliminate emissions associated with powering chemical processes. The company has demonstrated through extensive lab and pre-commercial-scale testing its ability to efficiently split ammonia and produce hydrogen gas without combustion. Development results show the technology will not only reduce the carbon footprint of hydrogen production, but it will also help reduce costs. The LOTTE Chemical HQ installation marks the first time the technology will be deployed at a commercial scale.
“Simply improving existing tech isn’t enough to reach the world’s decarbonization goals. Stopping climate change will require industries to reimagine what is possible,” said Syzygy CEO Trevor Best. “Our technology expands the accepted paradigms of chemical engineering. We have demonstrated the ability to replace heat from combustion with renewable electricity in the manufacture of foundational chemicals like hydrogen. Today LOTTE Chemical HQ, SCOA, and Sumitomo Corporation Korea are taking a profound step forward, demonstrating through actions their commitment to help decarbonize Korea. Syzygy is honored to be a part of their forward-thinking efforts in fighting climate change.”
The three companies announced the joint development agreement at a ceremony at LOTTE World Tower in Seoul on August 24, 2022.
“Partnering with best-in-class companies like Syzygy and LOTTE Chemical HQ is one of the important steps we are taking to make good on our commitment to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050, and lead the decarbonization of society,” said Shinichi Hasegawa, general manager of Energy Innovation Initiative of Americas at Sumitomo Corporation of Americas. “We are proud to engage in scaling up the groundbreaking technology Syzygy has developed, and we are confident its application with LOTTE Chemical HQ will yield successful results.”