4.3 Applications in the Industry Sector
Nowadays in the industrial sector, fossil raw materials are not only used as energy sources, but also as basic materials in many processes. Examples of this are the production of plastics, which is largely based on crude oil, or the production of fertilisers, which requires natural gas. In this chapter you will learn that green hydrogen plays a crucial role in the transformation of the industrial sector towards climate neutrality.
Chemical Industry
As already mentioned in Sections 3.2 and 4.1, large quantities of hydrogen are used today to produce ammonia and methanol. While ammonia is a central feedstock for the production of fertilisers, methanol is further processed into a variety of downstream products. For example, methanol is used as a raw material for the production of many types of glue or resins. Resins, for their part, can be further processed into paints and varnishes, among other things.
As shown in Section 4.1, methanol and ammonia are nowadays produced almost exclusively from grey hydrogen based on natural gas. A first step on the way to a climate-neutral chemical industry would therefore be to replace this grey hydrogen with green hydrogen. As the chemical industry moves away from fossil raw materials, however, the demand for methanol in the future could far exceed the current demand. Thus, numerous basic materials of the chemical industry are currently still produced on the basis of crude oil or natural gas. Important examples of such basic materials are ethylene and propylene. These two chemicals are, for example, starting materials for the production of a large number of plastics. The so-called "Methanol-to-Olefins" process makes it possible to produce ethylene and propylene from methanol. If the methanol is in turn produced from green hydrogen, crude oil and natural gas can be completely eliminated.
If the chemical industry is to run completely without fossil fuels in the future, green hydrogen would therefore be a central component of new, climate-neutral production processes.
As shown in Section 4.1, methanol and ammonia are nowadays produced almost exclusively from grey hydrogen based on natural gas. A first step on the way to a climate-neutral chemical industry would therefore be to replace this grey hydrogen with green hydrogen. As the chemical industry moves away from fossil raw materials, however, the demand for methanol in the future could far exceed the current demand. Thus, numerous basic materials of the chemical industry are currently still produced on the basis of crude oil or natural gas. Important examples of such basic materials are ethylene and propylene. These two chemicals are, for example, starting materials for the production of a large number of plastics. The so-called "Methanol-to-Olefins" process makes it possible to produce ethylene and propylene from methanol. If the methanol is in turn produced from green hydrogen, crude oil and natural gas can be completely eliminated.
If the chemical industry is to run completely without fossil fuels in the future, green hydrogen would therefore be a central component of new, climate-neutral production processes.