Aramco and Linde Engineering to develop ammonia cracking technology

Energy company Aramco and gas and engineering company Linde Engineering have signed an agreement to jointly develop a new ammonia cracking technology, using their experience and capabilities in industrial research and development, lower-carbon hydrogen, and ammonia cracking technology.

Aramco said the potential differentiator of the new technology is the ammonia cracking catalyst, jointly developed by Aramco and the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), which will be evaluated against other catalysts.

Through this agreement, Aramco and Linde Engineering said they plan to build a demonstration plant in northern Germany to showcase the new ammonia cracking technology.

Linde Engineering informed that it intends to offer this ammonia-cracking technology to current and new customers, creating new commercial opportunities within the global lower-carbon energy supply chain.

Ahmad Al-Khowaiter, Senior Vice President and Chief Technology Officer at Aramco, said: “This agreement is part of our ongoing technology and business development efforts to establish a commercially viable lower-carbon hydrogen supply chain. We believe the advanced ammonia cracking technology we are co-developing with Linde Engineering will play a key role in realising our objectives.”

John van der Velden, Senior Vice President of Global Sales & Technology at Linde Engineering, commented: “Effective ammonia cracking technology supports the world’s urgent need for decarbonisation. By completing the missing link in the export chain, cleaner energy can be shipped from regions with high renewable and clean energy potential to those with more limited resources. We look forward to working closely with Aramco to develop and commercialise this important technology, creating new business opportunities for Linde Engineering and Aramco.”

Recently, Aramco stated that one of its major focuses is investing in new lower-carbon technologies with the potential to achieve emission reductions. The focus areas include carbon capture and storage (CCS), greenhouse gas emissions, energy efficiency, nature-based climate solutions, digital sustainability, hydrogen, ammonia, and synthetic fuels.