Project Description
Ammonia (NH₃) is a promising carrier for intercontinental hydrogen transport due to its high hydrogen density and well-developed trading routes. However, a key missing link remains: an energy-efficient, affordable and flexible technology to crack ammonia back into pure hydrogen. HyPACT 2 (follow-up project from the original HyPACT project) addresses this by integrating plasma technology, thermocatalysis and adsorptive purification into a single, flexible process — compatible with renewable energy sources and capable of handling the large ammonia volumes required for Belgium's hydrogen import ambitions. The project is a collaboration between UAntwerp (ElectrifHy & PLASMANT) and KU Leuven (COK-KAT), funded by the Energy Transition Fund from FPS Economy (Energietransitiefonds (ETF) - FOD Economie).
Objectives
HyPACT 2 aims to demonstrate, at lab pilot-scale, a fully integrated ammonia cracking process that produces fuel-cell grade hydrogen (< 100 ppb residual NH₃) from large ammonia tonnages via adsorptive purification. The process targets an overall NH₃ conversion exceeding 99%, operating below 500°C using non-noble metal catalysts and electricity as the sole energy source — eliminating CO₂ emissions and improving round-trip efficiency.
Methodology
The process consists of three integrated stages: (1) a thermocatalytic reactor that initiates NH₃ cracking at 400–500°C, reaching > 95% conversion; (2) a warm plasma reactor that cracks the remaining NH₃ to achieve > 99% total conversion, while supplying heat to the upstream stage via a heat exchanger; and (3) ultra-selective adsorbents that purify the hydrogen product to < 100 ppb NH₃. Internal recirculation minimizes energy consumption and avoids NH₃ and H₂ losses. The demonstration unit will process 20 kg NH₃/day, producing approximately 4 kg H₂/day, and will be physically hosted at Blue App, UAntwerp's innovation hub.
Results so far
Building on HyPACT 1, in which plasma and non-noble metal catalyst performance surpassed the state of the art, the combined experimental and simulation results achieved > 98% NH₃ conversion with a net energy consumption of 136 kJ/mol NH₃. The following peer-reviewed publications have been produced:
Plasma-assisted NH3 cracking in warm plasma reactors for green H2 production.
Reversed plasma catalysis process design for efficient ammonia decomposition.
Spatially resolved modelling of NH3 cracking in warm plasma.
Plasma-based NH3 cracking: A better insight in the performance by chemical kinetics modelling.
