schwartz Gruppe and Forschungszentrum Jülich launch hydrogen pilot plant

The schwartz Gruppe and Forschungszentrum Jülich have unveiled a pilot plant in Simmerath designed to test the use of hydrogen in high-temperature industrial processes. Developed under the HyHeat project as part of the Helmholtz-Cluster Wasserstoff (HC-H2), the demonstrator focuses on heat treatment methods, such as the press hardening of automotive body parts.

Press hardening requires heating metal sheets to temperatures exceeding 900 °C, a process that typically relies on fossil fuels and generates significant CO₂ emissions. A single heat treatment plant for press hardening can emit approximately 2,000 tons of CO₂ annually. The HyHeat pilot plant demonstrates that it is technically feasible to switch between fossil fuel gas and hydrogen during continuous operation, providing a pathway toward more climate-friendly automotive production.

The project has a total volume of approximately 2.4 million euros and receives 1.7 million euros in funding from the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action.