Tank storage company, Vopak, have embarked on a joint venture with German hydrogen company, Hydrogenious, for the storage, transport, and supply of hydrogen via hydrogen carrier, benzyltoluene.
Through joint venture ‘LOHC [liquid organic hydrogen carriers] Logistix’, the companies are committing to building a plant in Rotterdam that can initially decouple 1.5 tonnes of hydrogen per day from this carrier.
A final decision on the investment has not yet been made.
Building the plant will first require, among other things, the licensing process to be completed successfully.
Both parent companies have committed financially to the project.
Vopak announced in June 2022 that it would invest €1 billion ($1.08 billion) in new energy and sustainable commodities until 2030.
This joint venture comes only months after an agreement was reached for Wilhelmsen Port Services to acquire 100 per cent of Vopak Agencies.
LOHC facilitates the transport and storage of hydrogen by binding it to a chemical compound, a hydrogen carrier such as a paste or an oil.
Without such a carrier, the transport of hydrogen would require a temperature of -253°C. By comparison, for LNG (liquefied natural gas) transporting hydrogen would require a temperature of -160°C.
READ: HHLA, Linde Engineering build hydrogen filling station at Port of Hamburg
In addition, storing hydrogen without a carrier requires tanks that can withstand extremely high pressures. When using a liquid organic hydrogen carrier, however, this is not necessary.
