Lhyfe, one of the world pioneers in the production of green and renewable hydrogen for the decarbonisation of mobility and industry, has announced that it has taken a significant step forward with the first tests of green hydrogen combustion as a replacement for fossil gas combustion, and has made its first delivery of renewable hydrogen in Spain, in the Valencia region.
This first experiment, successfully deployed in the ceramics sector, can now be replicated in other sectors using combustion, thanks to the mixing kit developed by Lhyfe.
The combustion of fossil fuels – mainly natural gas – is used in many industries (e.g. ceramics, frit, cement, steel, glass, non-ferrous metals, etc.) to reach the high temperatures required by their processes (between 400°C and 1550°C). Like many energy-intensive sectors, these industries are now seeking to reduce their carbon intensity by replacing natural gas with green hydrogen. Burning green hydrogen emits no CO2, unlike burning natural gas.
Spain’s Valencia region is home to many manufacturers of ceramics and frit (a glaze material that gives tiles their shine and strength).
Lhyfe delivered 3 t of green hydrogen in just three weeks to the Valencia region to decarbonise one of the players in this ceramics sector. This is its first delivery to the Iberian Peninsula.
The green hydrogen was produced at the Lhyfe site in Bessières, Haute-Garonne (France), which came on stream in 2024 and has a production capacity of up to 2 tpd of green hydrogen (5 MW). Lhyfe transported the 3 t of hydrogen using its advanced logistics capabilities, in particular its fleet of hydrogen bulk containers, which is one of the largest and most modern in Europe (with nearly 70 containers).
These combustion tests – the first carried out by Lhyfe – involved mixing combustion gases and gradually increasing the proportion of green hydrogen as a replacement for natural gas. To achieve this, Lhyfe has developed a ‘mixing kit’ that gradually increases the proportion of green hydrogen in the mixture from zero to 100%.
The tests required only the burners to be changed. This system can now be deployed in many industries that use high-temperature gas combustion (at between 400°C and 1550°C).
Frédéric Naudi, Industry Key Account Manager at Lhyfe, said: “These combustion tests, using up to 100% green hydrogen, represent an important milestone for Lhyfe, which is thus supporting the first trials to decarbonise manufacturing processes in an industry that consumes a lot of fossil gas. We can now deploy this system in many industries that burn fossil fuels. In this way, we continue our mission to decarbonise as of today, as well as that of supporting manufacturers in their decarbonisation experiments.”
Spain, a major market for green and renewable hydrogen
Lhyfe – whose Spanish subsidiary opened in 2022 and has offices in Madrid and Barcelona – is working on several projects in the Iberian Peninsula. One has already been announced in Vallmoll (Tarragona), with an installed capacity of 15 MW, producing up to 4.5 - 5 tpd of green hydrogen a day. Scheduled to come on stream in 2027, the project has been selected under the H2 Pioneros programme to receive a €14 million grant from the Spanish government. This project aims to decarbonise the uses of industrial players, particularly in the chemicals sector, but also in mobility.
Lhyfe’s Spanish team is in contact with many players in industry and mobility to study their specific needs.
Franz Bechtold, Lhyfe Sales Director for Spain, added: “Spain has several major advantages for the development of green and RFNBO hydrogen: government ambition, appropriate support mechanisms, large quantities of accessible renewable electricity, and manufacturers who are seeking to make their energy transition in order to remain competitive. For some industries, it’s simply a matter of replacing grey hydrogen with green hydrogen, but for others – such as ceramics – the combustion process needs to be modified to replace natural gas with green hydrogen. This requires some adjustments. We are delighted to have been chosen by our partner to carry out this operation. The equipment we’ve developed for this project will be very useful for carrying out combustion tests with other industrial players and in other sectors looking to decarbonise.”