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12 high-temperature fuel cells. It has also joined German steelmakers Saarstahl and Dillinger in the H2Syngas project aimed at develop- ing a technology using process gases and significant quantities of hydrogen in blast furnace processes. In order to strengthen its scientific cooperation, it is setting up the Paul Wurth Chair in Energy Process En- gineering at the University of Luxembourg, which will conduct cutting-edge research in the field of hydrogen processing and re- lated aspects of carbon-neutral industrial processes. “Coke oven gas already consists of 50% hy- drogen, and the first commercial projects valorising this gas stream for metallurgical purposes are already in place,” says Mr Both. “More projects will come in the next 2-3 years. I’m convinced that in the long-term future, most of our revenues will somehow be related to hydrogen.” Cross-border cooperation International collaboration is essential for tackling the technology challenges related to hydrogen. Luxembourg is one of the 22 signatory EU member states of the IPCEI (Important Project of Common European Interest) on hydrogen technologies and systems, and the Ministry of the Economy is currently supporting a number of Luxem- bourg project proposals across this strate- gic value chain. “We are also looking into possible cooper- ation with partners in the Greater Region, for instance when it comes to hydrogen production and procurement,” Mr Schiltz points out. As Luxembourg is an important road transport hub, being part of the Euro- pean hydrogen grid is important. Energy players Encevo and Creos have partnered with French GRTgaz in the MosaHYc project, which is aimed at creating a new regional and cross-border hydrogen network. The in- tention is to retrofit two existing natural gas pipelines into a network that will connect Saarland (Germany), Lorraine (France) and the Luxembourg border. The Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology (LIST) is implementing one of its major hydrogen-related research proj- ects in collaboration with a French start-up, 3D Oxides. The joint project focuses on a technology breakthrough for the green fab- rication of hydrogen by coupling renewable energy with electrolysers. “We are investi- gating a new family of materials that could be used to trigger water molecule split- ting though the direct use of solar energy, without first transforming it into electrici- ty,” explains Damien Lenoble, who heads LIST’s Materials Research and Technology department. LIST is also working on several research projects related to fuel cell technology: im- proving the durability of fuel cells, reduc- ing the cost by minimising the quantity of catalyst – in particular platinum – needed, and enhancing the overall design by using lightweight materials. A recent addition is research on the use of composite materials to design light, durable and safe hydrogen storage tanks and, a cooperation with the Luxembourg-based European Space Re- sources Innovation Centre (ESRIC) on hydro- gen processing technology applied to space resources. Industry uptake Aligning its research activities with market needs is a priority for LIST, and Dr Lenoble is optimistic about the market uptake of the research results. “If we can demonstrate an efficient solution for the green production of hydrogen, I think industry could quickly adopt the technology, but we will still need another 4-6 years of research to reach that level of maturity. Successful results from our fuel cell research initiatives could be imple- mented even more rapidly.” Dr Lenoble’s ambition is to offer relevant technology platforms to Luxembourg’s au- tomotive and industrial companies. He also hopes to collaborate with car manufacturers in order to test and assess his department’s technologies in real environments. “If we manage to develop a ‘made in Luxembourg’ technology for solar to hydrogen, we would make a real contribution to solving global warming issues.” Luxembourg Automobility Cluster https://t1p.de/eaiv Luxinnovation https://t1p.de/74ls Share Image: © Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology