The pilot demonstrates a proprietary conversion process capable of producing hydrogen from ammonia at an industrial scale, addressing a persistent barrier in global hydrogen logistics. Ammonia, which consists of hydrogen and nitrogen molecules, can be produced cost-effectively in regions rich in renewable energy and transported using established global infrastructure.
Air Liquide developed several innovations for this pilot installation, including advances in process safety, material testing, catalytic cracking, ammonia combustion, and efficient molecule separation. The unit’s commissioning confirms the company’s ability to scale research concepts into operational industrial systems and positions ammonia cracking alongside Air Liquide’s portfolio of low-carbon and renewable hydrogen technologies.
The wider context for the technology is the need to move hydrogen over long distances from energy-rich production regions to end-use markets. Because ammonia is already traded globally and can be transported and stored with mature infrastructure, cracking it back into hydrogen near demand centers offers a pathway to support industrial decarbonization and mobility applications.
Armelle Levieux, Member of Air Liquide’s Executive Committee responsible for Innovation and Technology and Hydrogen Energy activities, stated: “The commissioning of our ammonia cracking pilot unit in Antwerp is a key milestone. This is a world’s first which paves the way for new low-carbon hydrogen supply chains. By proving the viability of industrial-scale ammonia cracking, Air Liquide demonstrates its capacity to innovate and provide concrete solutions for its customers, and contributing to the Energy Transition. I am immensely proud of the work and commitment of all our teams who made this achievement possible.”
The pilot’s successful start-up provides a foundation for commercial-scale plants that could expand access to low-carbon and renewable hydrogen across global value chains.
