hte and JGC have collaborated on innovative technologies for converting ammonia into H₂. The goal of this contract research project conducted at hte’s laboratories was to advance decarbonization by identifying suitable catalysts for ammonia cracking.

Ammonia cracking has attracted significant attention thanks to ammonia’s effectiveness as a H₂ carrier. By cracking green ammonia, H₂ can be produced on demand at the point of use, offering a clean and efficient energy solution. This process plays a crucial role in global decarbonization efforts, providing a scalable and sustainable pathway to reduced carbon emissions across key sectors such as transportation, power generation, and heavy industry.

Recovering H₂ through ammonia cracking requires high temperatures, safe handling of ammonia under high pressure, and high performing catalysts for efficient conversion. The 16-fold high-throughput unit selected for the project was specifically designed for demanding reaction conditions. This technology enabled catalyst testing under high temperatures and pressures, along with parallelized, rapid and comprehensive investigation of various catalysts and process parameters.

Thanks to hte’s innovative reactor design, it’s possible to selectively eliminate unwanted catalytic effects from reactor materials, allowing the catalyst’s activity to be studied in isolation within the kinetically controlled conversion range. Precise analytics ensured reliable results and the collection of industrially relevant data. The H₂ produced was immediately available for other catalytic downstream processes such as hydrogenation.

“This project centered on a critical application in ammonia cracking—a key pathway for clean H₂ production. Leveraging hte’s high throughput technology, JGC team was able to significantly accelerate catalyst testing and explore a wide range of operating conditions. The comprehensive and accurate results delivered through this collaboration provided strong support for JGC’s catalyst evaluation efforts and contributed meaningfully to the advancement of our ammonia cracking technology,” remarked Masahiro Aika, Technology Commercialization Officer (TCO) and Executive Vice President of JGC Holdings Corporation.

“This project marks a significant milestone in our collaboration with JGC, delivering successful outcomes that demonstrate the tangible benefits of our joint efforts. We look forward to continuing the advancement of decarbonization together,” commented Markus Bold, CEO of hte.