Cooperation agreement between Frames and Hydrogenious

Frames Group — Sat, 06 Apr 2019 10:33:00 +0000

Erlangen, 25 July 2019 – Hydrogenious LOHC Technologies GmbH, Frames Group B.V. and MAN Energy Solutions SE have entered a close cooperation in order to build large-scale hydrogen storage systems based on the innovative LOHC technology. The partners have developed 5 and 12 tons per day solutions as first step.

The energy market is increasingly requesting hydrogen as an energy carrier. Since hydrogen can be produced on a large scale from renewable energies, it is the ideal medium for decarbonizing the energy, mobility and industrial sectors. However, the question of efficient hydrogen distribution remains open. The Liquid Organic Hydrogen Carrier (LOHC) technology developed by Hydrogenious LOHC Technologies offers a safe and efficient solution for storing and distributing hydrogen on a large scale.

In the light of these advantages and the strong desire to promote the potential of hydrogen for the energy market, Hydrogenious LOHC Technologies, Frames Group B.V. and MAN Energy Solutions have signed a cooperation agreement , focusing on the development and global delivery of large-scale hydrogenation plants to store hydrogen in the LOHC material. As a first step, the partners have developed systems with hydrogen capacities of 5 and 12 tons per day. Such large hydrogen processing capacities will be crucial for the decarbonization of Europe’s energy needs. Since the LOHC technology uses the existing infrastructure for conventional fuels, it makes import and transportation of large amounts of green hydrogen, for example from Scandinavian wind parks to Central Europe, feasible. The new partnership will thereby contribute to creating a simple and efficient transport network for green energy at European and global level. “We are very satisfied to have gained such important players from the plant engineering sector for this cooperation”, states Daniel Teichmann, CEO of Hydrogenious LOHC Technologies. “We firmly believe that the expertise of Frames and MAN Energy Solutions will further advance our LOHC technology and make it a key factor for the global large-scale distribution of hydrogen.”

The new partners are ready to meet the needs for the future hydrogen market in respect to bulk hydrogen storage and transportation. Hydrogenious LOHC Technologies is specialized in the development of the LOHC technology and thus contributes its core process know-how to the cooperation. Frames designs and builds solutions for renewable energy and oil and gas processing equipment, and will be responsible for the overall realization of the hydrogenation plant. “We see an increased demand for green fuels and are investing in the development of hydrogen solutions, like electrolysers and hydrogen storage. Hydrogen is the vital link in the energy transition”, says Frans Roozendaal – CEO at Frames. “At Frames, we convert process and control concepts into skid-mounted solutions. Although the oil & gas industry has historically been the target market, we have also seen a strong expansion of our renewables activities.” Jordi Zonneveld, Product Specialist – Hydrogen at Frames is very pleased with the collaboration between Hydrogenious LOHC Technologies, MAN Energy Solutions and Frames: “With this partnership we are able to translate our customer’s sustainability ambitions into skid-mounted solutions.”

MAN Energy Solutions completes the consortium with its experience in design and fabrication of reactor systems for chemical and petrochemical applications. The company will deliver the reactor and related steam generator equipment to the projects. “We strongly believe that the global goal to build a climate neutral economy largely depends on the future use of green hydrogen and other gases produced from renewable energy”, says Dr. Uwe Lauber, CEO of MAN Energy Solutions. “Hydrogen will play a crucial role in the decarbonization of those sectors that cannot be electrified directly. The LOHC technology is a game changing and powerful innovation by a great company and this partnership is an important step to further build our profile with regards to a future hydrogen economy.”

Frames Group B.V., MAN Energy Solutions and Hydrogenious LOHC Technologies are the right partners for scaling up the LOHC process and hence implementing the LOHC technology even more cost-effectively. As all three companies operate on a global level, this strong European consortium is well positioned for a worldwide realization of large-scale LOHC plants.

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The world’s first commercial CO2 capture installation for horticulture applications

Frames Group — Sat, 06 Apr 2019 08:59:00 +0000

Frames is pleased to announce the first carbon neutral system for heating and supplying CO₂ for industrial-scale, greenhouse growers. Successfully demonstrated by DES B.V. a cooperative association of growers including VOF Prominent Grevelingen, DT van Noord tomatoes and Van Duijn aubergines, the biomass system will save the growers more than 6.5 million m3 of natural gas, and 12 million kilos of fossil CO₂ emissions per year.

The Frames biomass fueled system uses advanced carbon capture and cleaning technology to produce high quality CO₂ used to promote plant growth. Carbon dioxide (CO₂) enrichment is commonly used in greenhouses to encourage crops to maximize their photosynthesis. Until now, greenhouse growers have relied on using a combination of fossil fuel (natural gas) combustion with air heaters and liquid CO₂. However, with the Dutch government committed to reducing CO₂ emissions by 2030 to 49% of 1990 levels, the horticultural industry needs to find more environmentally friendly alternatives. Previous attempts to use CO₂ from biomass have been inhibited by the high level of pollutants in the flue gases.

The Frames’ carbon neutral CO₂ system comprises an installation which captures CO₂ from flue gases of chipped natural wood burning in a biomass boiler. After further polishing, the captured CO₂ is stored in two large gas tanks for later use. When the wood is burned, the CO₂ rich flue gases pass through an absorption tower where they are dissolved in GALLOXOL^® – an environmentally friendly solvent specifically designed to selectively pick CO₂ from the flue gasses. The other flue gasses exit the absorber into the atmosphere as normal.

The CO₂ rich GALLOXOL^® then passes through a condenser to release the pure CO₂ before being recycled back to the absorption tower. Only the produced pure CO₂ is used for fertilizing and not the flue gasses themselves, making the Frames process a significant improvement compared to typical gas fired boiler or combined heat and power (CHP) fertilization systems.

The Frames installation will generate 2.2 T CO₂ per hour. It also includes a gas analyzer to check the quality of the CO₂ for levels of NOx and ethylene which are by-products of combustion process and a well know concern to growers. The analysis is done as a final quality check and provides an additional reassurance to growers. In the unlikely event the CO₂ quality is outside specification, the CO₂ will be vented and not used in the greenhouses.

Combination of techniques

The heat and green CO₂ from the Frames process is used by the growers in their production processes. “Unique about the project is the capture of the green CO₂ from the flue gases. The CO₂ is used to promote plant growth in cultivation,” says Pleun van Duijn, one of the founders of DES B.V. In Europe, this combination of techniques has not been used on this scale before, partly due to the complex integration of the different technologies. The cooperation between the three horticultural companies provides economies of scale, making it an environmentally and economically carbon neutral solution.

Sustainability and savings

By using heat from biomass, more than 6.5 million m3 of natural gas is saved per year. In addition, the use of biomass as fuel saves 12 million kilos of fossil CO₂ emissions per year. “We want to make our cultivation more sustainable,” says van Duijn. “That’s why we now opt for an innovative and sustainable replacement of a large part of the CO₂ and fossil heat used in the plant production process.” Other companies involved in the DES BV project include: Comgoed from Dirksland as a supplier for the local biomass. The biomass boiler has been supplied by Flanders based, Vyncke and the CO₂ capture installation by Frames. Hanse Staalbouw is responsible for the construction of the storage shed and the boiler house.

Other companies involved in the DES BV project include: Comgoed from Dirksland as a supplier for the local biomass. The biomass boiler has been supplied by Flanders based, Vyncke and the CO₂ capture installation by Frames. Hanse Staalbouw is responsible for the construction of the storage shed and the boiler house.

Carbon Capture with GALLOXOL® technology

Frames’ experience of CO₂ goes back a number of years, being located on the premises of the University of Twente campus in Enschede. We first designed CO₂ capture units for the oil and gas industry by applying GALLOXOL^® technology originally developed in the Netherlands, to the needs of an industrial-scale process. Five years ago, Frames began adapting its GALLOXOL^® technology for CO₂ removal in the biogas market.

“Our breakthrough for greenhouse CO₂ recovery came when we realized that both heat production and CO₂ emissions are features of the same system, so why not tackle both at the same time,” says Nick ten Asbroek, Product Specialist, Frames. “We contacted Vyncke biomass boiler maker and worked with them to develop the complete system.”

“To our knowledge this is the first demo designed to produce greenhouse quality CO₂ that includes all the required process steps: automation, heat integration and CO₂ storage. It is also of significant size compared to earlier pilots that focused only on the capture of CO₂ and did not demonstrate a commercially viable pilot solution.”

Dutch Government Expands SDE+ Carbon Reduction Initiative

Since 2020, the Dutch government is has been providing subsidies on technologies that reduce CO₂ emissions. To enable this, the current Sustainable Energy Production Incentive Scheme (SDE +) is being upgraded. The scheme will be called the Sustainable Energy Transition Stimulation Scheme (SDE ++) from 2020 and focuses on more than just sustainable energy.

The SDE ++ is intended to contribute in a cost-effective way to reducing CO₂ emissions. By 2030 emissions must be reduced by 49 percent compared to 1990. All coal-fired plants must also be closed. Techniques that reduce CO₂ and are cost-effective are the first to be eligible for a subsidy, according to the government.