Inovyn's chlorine plant in Antwerp releases high amounts of hydrogen during the electrolysis process, in which a mixture of water and salt is energized to make chlorine and caustic soda. Much of that hydrogen is supplied to nearby company Bayer and the neighboring gas specialist Air Liquide, which operates a hydrogen network linking industrial customers. But about a third of its hydrogen gas still escapes into the atmosphere and goes to waste.
To minimize the energy waste, INEOS will soon use the surplus hydrogen itself. The British group revealed its plans to build a hydrogen boiler at Inovyn’s plant, a total investment of EUR 10 million. The hydrogen boiler will replace steam boilers at neighboring countries that now run mainly on natural gas.
With a capacity of 22 megawatts, the hydrogen boiler will be able to produce about 25 tons of steam per hour, covering 65% of the Inovyn plant's needs.
'By reusing hydrogen, we can produce over half of our own steam, indirectly reducing our CO₂ emissions.
With gas prices going through the roof, it is expected that reusing surplus hydrogen will become common practice in the near future. In 2022, for example, chlorine producer Vynova installed two steam boilers that run on the hydrogen released as a residual product from the production process rather than on natural gas.
