Surrey’s AFC Energy launches ammonia cracker technology platform

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Daniel Face

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Cranleigh-based AFC Energy has launched its new ammonia cracker technology platform, with which it hopes to deliver its hydrogen generation solutions more effectively to energy markets across Europe and Asia.

Cracking involves the decomposition of ammonia (NH₃) into nitrogen and hydrogen over a catalyst. Ammonia therefore acts as a ‘hydrogen carrier fuel’, since it can be transported over distances before being converted to energy-producing hydrogen.

It is hoped that the new technology platform will help overcome the challenges currently associated with generating, transporting, and storing hydrogen. This comes as the latest development in AFC Energy’s Flex-Fuel strategy to meet growing demand for low cost, on-site production.

Hydrogen fuel offers a green solution to industries looking to decarbonise. Despite limited investment in and demand for the associated technologies in recent decades, interest has peaked in light of the ongoing threat to energy security posed by the Ukraine conflict.

AFC Energy now finds itself in a good position to make up the shortfall in ammonia cracker capacity as global industry scrambles to capitalise on hydrogen fuel. Its modular designs and low-cost system architecture will allow companies to scale their hydrogen production from near-zero to many million tonnes a year.

And the market is only expected to grow. The International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) estimates that by 2050, in the 1.5°C scenario of global warming, demand for ammonia could be as high as 333 million tonnes, up from 183 million in 2020.

CEO Adam Bond said: “AFC Energy's new ammonia cracking technology platform takes us into the hydrogen generation market facilitating renewed energy security and reliability.

“Clean ammonia is affirmed as a preferred means of transporting hydrogen to end users, particularly in Europe and Asia, and now AFC Energy is targeting these key markets to enable a faster, more widespread adoption of hydrogen where storage and transportation challenges might otherwise present short-term challenges.”

Daniel Face

Born and raised in Berkshire, Dan fell into journalism after completing his bachelor’s degree in English at UCL. Writing for The Business Magazine and local Biz News sites has given him the opportunity to chat with all manner of small business owners and share their success stories with a wider audience. Outside of work, Dan enjoys live music, board games and quiz shows, and is making a slow but persistent effort to learn Spanish.