German industry shifts toward hydrogen with Lanxess and Thyssengas developments

Lanxess has successfully transitioned a large-scale industrial plant in Krefeld-Uerdingen to run on hydrogen instead of natural gas. The company’s spray dryer, used for producing iron oxide pigments, is now one of the first large-scale industrial facilities in Germany to utilize hydrogen for continuous operation. To achieve this, Lanxess is utilizing hydrogen produced as a byproduct from a neighboring Covestro chlorine electrolysis plant, avoiding the need for its own electrolyzer or purchasing green hydrogen on the open market. This shift is expected to reduce CO2 emissions by approximately 6,000 tonnes per year.

In a related development for Germany’s energy transition, KfW IPEX-Bank has provided Thyssengas with a 130 million EUR revolving credit facility. This financing is intended to support the company’s transformation phase, specifically the development of infrastructure required to transport hydrogen. Thyssengas operates one of Germany’s largest long-distance gas networks, covering 4,400 kilometers primarily in North Rhine-Westphalia and Lower Saxony. The network is being progressively prepared to facilitate the future transport of hydrogen alongside its current transport of natural gas and biogas.