Taiyo Nippon Sanso Corporation (TNSC), a Japanese industrial gas business company in the Nippon Sanso Holdings Group, announced its successful demonstration of production of H₂ from ammonia that meets the quality specifications (ISO 14687:2019 Grade D) required for H₂ fuel for fuel cell vehicles (FCVs).

While the Japanese government is working to increase the supply and use of H₂, etc. to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050, TNSC is working for the goal of reducing GHG emissions through the development of environmentally friendly products. While participating in the research project “Basic Technology for H₂ Station Utilizing Ammonia” in the Cross-ministerial Strategic Innovation Promotion Program (SIP): “Energy Carrier” led by the Council for Science, Technology and Innovation of the Cabinet Office from 2014 to 2018, TNSC has established a technology to produce H₂ gas with less than 100 ppm nitrogen and less than 1 ppm methane by purifying a mixed gas of 25% nitrogen, 0.1% methane and 74.9% H₂.

In the SIP initiative, they used a mixture of gases with few impurities that is made by simulating ammonia cracking gas. Based on the knowledge gained in the H₂ gas purification, TNSC successfully demonstrated that the produced H₂ can meet the standards required for H₂ fuel for FCVs (ISO 14687:2019 Grade D) via a H₂ production test where a combination of an ammonia cracking furnace and a H₂ purification device that is developed by the company was used. This allowed them to plan development of equipment to produce H₂ from ammonia. We will start working on the commercialization of equipment that produces H₂ gas from ammonia.