Traditional metallurgy uses coke to reduce iron under high temperature conditions. The technology is mature and the cost is low, but a large amount of carbon dioxide is produced in the process. With the improvement of environmental protection requirements for hydrogen metallurgy and the pursuit of sustainable development, hydrogen metallurgy technology has emerged. As an important path for the low-carbon transformation of the steel industry, hydrogen is used instead of carbon as a reducing agent to significantly reduce carbon dioxide emissions. Compared with traditional metallurgy, it has significant advantages. In addition, hydrogen metallurgy has higher energy utilization efficiency, avoids impurities brought by coke in traditional blast furnace ironmaking, and the quality of smelted steel products is higher.
Currently, there are two main process routes for hydrogen metallurgy technology: blast furnace hydrogen-rich metallurgy and gas-based direct reduction metallurgy. Taking the hydrogen-rich reduction blast furnace process as an example, it is modified on the basis of the existing blast furnace. It is necessary to inject hydrogen or hydrogen-rich gas into the traditional blast furnace to reduce carbon emissions. The carbon emission reduction effect is about 10%-20%. Gas-based direct reduction metallurgy uses a mixture of hydrogen and carbon monoxide as a reducing agent to replace coke ironmaking. Compared with traditional metallurgy, it can reduce carbon dioxide emissions by more than 50%, which is more in line with the development direction of low-carbon ironmaking in the future.
Among them, the Swedish Hybrit project is the world’s first green hydrogen-based ironmaking demonstration project, with the goal of completely replacing coke ironmaking by 2045. So far, the six-year pilot phase has been completed, verifying the feasibility of green hydrogen metallurgy. In addition, developed countries such as the United States, Germany, and South Korea have all carried out active exploration and practice in the field of hydrogen metallurgical technology.
As an important chemical raw material, hydrogen energy is widely used in synthetic ammonia, synthetic methanol, refining and other industries.
At present, more than 37% of the world’s hydrogen is used to produce synthetic ammonia, and green hydrogen synthetic ammonia is currently the largest way to consume hydrogen. Traditional ammonia production mainly relies on coal or natural gas to produce hydrogen, and then synthesizes ammonia with nitrogen. The production process will produce a lot of carbon dioxide. Green hydrogen is produced by electrolyzing water with renewable energy (such as wind energy and solar energy). Almost no carbon dioxide is produced during the production process, and low-carbon or even zero-carbon ammonia production can be achieved. In addition, green hydrogen has high purity and does not require complex desulfurization and decarbonization processes like fossil fuel hydrogen production, which further reduces energy consumption. By using clean and low-carbon hydrogen, the chemical industry can achieve deep decarbonization and improve energy efficiency. Limited by the development of the hydrogen energy industry, the global green ammonia industry is still in the early stages of commercialization, and several green ammonia projects have been started in areas with more renewable resources.
Methanol is another major way to apply green hydrogen. As an important hydrogen derivative, methanol can not only realize the storage and transportation of hydrogen, but also meet the needs of downstream chemical applications. Traditional methanol production mainly relies on fossil fuels, such as coal or natural gas, which are reformed to obtain synthesis gas (CO+H₂), and then catalytically react to produce methanol. However, this process has high carbon emissions. The production of each ton of methanol may release more than 2 tons of CO₂, exacerbating climate change. Green hydrogen to methanol is to use renewable energy (such as solar energy and wind energy) to electrolyze water to produce green hydrogen and react with carbon dioxide to synthesize methanol. Zero-carbon emission methanol synthesis is an important technical route for the future synthesis of green methanol. Green methanol, also known as liquid sunshine, not only uses carbon dioxide as a resource, but also has the function of energy storage and peak regulation, taking into account economic development and carbon reduction goals, and helping the decarbonization process of shipping, aviation and other industries.
Hydrogen can also be used as an alternative fuel in industries such as glass, cement and ceramic manufacturing to replace the use of fossil fuels.
In the glass manufacturing industry, green hydrogen can help low-carbon high-temperature melting of glass. Glass manufacturing requires a high temperature of more than 1500°C. Traditional glass manufacturing mainly uses natural gas as fuel, which produces a large amount of carbon dioxide during combustion. Gradually introducing hydrogen and natural gas mixed combustion in existing glass furnaces can reduce carbon emissions. Hydrogen only produces water vapor after combustion, so it is a zero-carbon alternative energy source. Using a furnace that burns 100% hydrogen can achieve completely carbon-free production. And because hydrogen makes glass with higher combustion efficiency, the application of green hydrogen in the glass industry has made breakthrough progress; for example, in April 2024, Germany’s Schott successfully achieved the industrialization of 100% hydrogen-driven glass production.
In the cement industry, carbon emissions account for about 7% of global CO₂ emissions, mainly from its calcination and fuel combustion processes. Among them, limestone (CaCO₃) decomposes into calcium oxide (CaO) during calcination, releasing CO₂, accounting for 60% of total emissions. The fuel combustion process accounts for 40% of total emissions. Cement kilns require temperatures of up to 1450°C and traditionally rely on fuels such as coal and petroleum coke. Green hydrogen cement is to replace traditional fuels with hydrogen to reduce emissions. At the same time, the temperature of the hydrogen combustion flame is higher, which improves combustion efficiency. There are still some developments and challenges in the future: Carbon emissions from cement production mainly come from limestone calcination. Hydrogen alone cannot solve this problem, and it still requires the cooperation of technologies such as carbon capture and storage (CCS).
Hydrogen combustion in the ceramic industry can also reduce production emissions. Ceramic production requires high temperatures of 1200°C~1400°C and mainly relies on natural gas or coal gas combustion, which will produce a large amount of carbon emissions in this process. The use of hydrogen and natural gas mixed combustion can gradually reduce the use of fossil fuels and reduce emissions. However, the ceramic industry still needs a large-scale supply of green hydrogen to ensure stable production. Moreover, due to the fast combustion rate of hydrogen, it may affect the quality of ceramic products, and the kiln temperature needs to be accurately adjusted.
Fullcryo relies on core low-temperature technology to create a high-purity hydrogen energy supply system, covering liquid hydrogen storage and transportation, and helping the development of the entire hydrogen energy industry chain. The company provides a full range of green hydrogen solutions from industrial tail gas hydrogen production to solar energy and water electrolysis hydrogen production, and deploys green hydrogen industrial bases, hydrogen liquefaction plants and liquid hydrogen storage and transportation hydrogenation stations to promote the global application of hydrogen energy and has achieved outstanding results in the international market.
In terms of hydrogen purification, the 2000Nm³/h PSA hydrogen purification unit independently invested and constructed by Fullcryo has been successfully put into production, with a hydrogen purity of up to 99.999%, and an annual output of 9.76 million cubic meters of high-purity hydrogen, which meets the quality standards of national high-purity hydrogen and fuel cell hydrogen. In addition, the 1.5 tons/day hydrogen liquefaction unit independently developed by Fullcryo was successfully exported to Canada and passed the expert technical appraisal. The liquefaction rate reached 1590kg/day, and the unit energy consumption was at the international leading level. The company has also successfully developed the core equipment of a 5-ton/day large-scale liquid hydrogen plant, using advanced vacuum super-insulation, low-temperature heat exchange and turbine expansion technology. The overall performance is better than the design indicators and has been supported by the national key R&D plan.
Fullcryo drives hydrogen energy technology breakthroughs with innovation, provides efficient, safe and low-energy solutions for the development of the global hydrogen energy industry, and accelerates the move towards a new era of clean energy.
Hydrogen energy has broad prospects in the industrial field and will become a key driving force for promoting green and low-carbon transformation. However, its large-scale application still faces challenges in technology, economy, policy and standards, safety and regulation. At present, hydrogen energy-related technologies are not yet mature, especially in the fields of high-temperature industrial heating and chemical production, where key technical bottlenecks still need to be overcome. In addition, the high production cost of green hydrogen and the imbalanced development of the industrial chain limit its market competitiveness and hinder its widespread promotion in the industrial field.
Nevertheless, with the continuous advancement of hydrogen energy technology, the gradual decline in production costs and the strengthening of policy support, the prospect of hydrogen energy decarbonization application in industries such as steelmaking, chemical industry, petroleum refining, and electronic manufacturing is still promising. In the future, hydrogen energy will be deeply integrated with renewable energy, promote the green upgrade of industrial processes, and help achieve the global carbon neutrality goal.
