
The Spanish company has just inaugurated its first palladium alloy membrane plant in Gascony (Southwestern France). This technology will make it possible to obtain hydrogen at lower cost from ammonia, methanol, or by isolating it in gas mixtures at low concentration.
Until now, this type of membrane has been very expensive, fragile and difficult to manufacture on a large scale. But H2site says it has succeeded in overcoming these obstacles. The construction of the plant is the culmination of a ten-year collaboration with the Technical University of Eindhoven. It is “a revolutionary process” and the investors are “firmly convinced that the technology is a key factor in the energy transition” says the company’s CEO, Andres Galanares. H2site’s work is also of interest to Engie and Technalia.
The membrane separators and reactors will help supply highly purified hydrogen at low cost, mainly to the industrial and heavy transport sectors with significant hydrogen needs.
Article written by Laurent Meillaud and translated by Logan King