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Air Products Membrane Solutions recently announced that, for the first time, it will provide a nitrogen membrane system for a shipping vessel powered by ammonia.
The ship, which is being built for NYK Line, a Japanese shipping company, will be one of the world’s first ammonia-fueled shipping vessels. The maritime industry is considering the use of ammonia as a clean fuel as part of its efforts to decarbonize shipping since ammonia does not emit carbon dioxide (CO2) when used as a fuel.
“The use of our nitrogen membrane system on a ship powered by an alternative fuel is a tremendous example of the impact our technology can have as the world transitions to clean energy,” said Dr. Erin Sorensen, General Manager, Air Products Membrane Solutions.
Air Products Membrane Solutions has a long history of innovation in the maritime industry. Air Products Membrane Solutions was the first company to install a membrane-based nitrogen generation system onboard a ship in 1984. Today, more than 2,000 ships from over 50 countries utilize Air Products Membrane Solutions’ nitrogen generators, which are designed and manufactured at Air Products’ facility in Norway.
“When developing ammonia-fueled ships, a key challenge lies in establishing secure operational procedures,” said Tetsuya Kakinuma, Manager, Decarbonization Promotion Team, NYK Line. “Equipping a reliable removal means of ammonia from the system using nitrogen is essential for improving safety.”
Air Products Membrane Solutions’ membrane-based nitrogen generation systems enable large ships to efficiently switch from traditional heavy fuels to cleaner alternative fuels while at sea, resulting in reduced emissions during the transport of goods.
Learn more about Air Products Membrane Solutions.
Forterra, a leading UK manufacturer of essential clay and concrete building products, recently worked with Air Products on a successful trial to reduce carbon emissions during its production process by introducing blend-levels of hydrogen to power the company’s brick product kilns.
At its production site in Derbyshire, England, Forterra trialed up to a 20 percent hydrogen blend with 80 percent natural gas as an alternative to pure natural gas in its kilns.
“Cutting our carbon emissions is central to our mission, but we need to make sure we’re not compromising on the quality of the products we’re producing,” said David Manley, Forterra’s Head of Sustainability. “When it comes to considering how to cut our emissions, we looked at several options including electrification and biomass. Both of these will have a supporting role in our long-term strategy, but it became obvious quite quickly that hydrogen is the most effective option for reaching our long-term decarbonization targets.”
Overseeing trials using a 100 percent natural gas kiln as a control variable, Forterra used hydrogen at rates between five and 20 percent, increasing the volume of hydrogen use as the pilot project progressed. Adding hydrogen in a staged manner allowed them to pinpoint to what extent hydrogen could be introduced and used effectively in the production process. At the highest blend of a 20 percent hydrogen mix, there was no impact on the color, consistency or quality of the bricks.
“We’re excited by the trial outcome, and it’s proved to be a real success for the introduction of hydrogen into our company,” said Manley. “As a result we’re now exploring how we can do a similar trial on a slightly smaller kiln but with hydrogen blends of up to 100 percent, as well as how we would fill out our larger kilns in the future.”
Commenting on the success of the trial, Petr Tlamicha, Combustion Segment Manager at Air Products, said “We know how significant the introduction of hydrogen is to the industry. Working together with Forterra means we can continue to demonstrate feasibility, understand need and respond collaboratively to requirements; most importantly, we can continue to drive forward to their goal to reduce carbon emissions.”
Carburos Metálicos, part of the Air Products group, has participated in the successful launch of an initiative in Spain designed to use hydrogen to reduce carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, instead of natural gas, in the production of ceramic frits.
Ceramic frits are a ceramic glass material made from powdered minerals that are melted, cooled, and ground into a fine powder. Frits are used to enhance the appearance and functionality of glass.
The H2frit Project is led by the National Association of Manufacturers of Ceramic Frits, Glazes, and Colors (ANFFECC), which is collaborating with Carburos Metálicos, Esmalglass, bp, and The Institute for Ceramic Technology (ITC-AICE) on the trial designed to test the production of various Esmalglass products (frits) using a hydrogen/natural gas blend, with the potential to reach 100% hydrogen fuel usage.
The pilot project is a three-year initiative funded by the Ministry of Industry of the Generalitat in Valencia, Spain. It aims to explore the technical feasibility of replacing natural gas with hydrogen in the melting process of ceramic frits as a way to decarbonize the sector.
Key aspects of the project include:
The H2frit Project is not only a significant step towards reducing the carbon footprint of the ceramic frit industry, but also serves as a model for future sustainability initiatives in other markets and industries.
As the project progresses, it will continue to provide valuable insights and contribute to the broader goal of decarbonizing the industrial sector. The final results and findings will be published in December 2025.
The America’s Cup—the world’s oldest international sailing competition—is underway, and Air Products is taking steps to help to make the competition more sustainable.
As the official hydrogen supplier of the 37th America’s Cup, Air Products is providing hydrogen to power chase boats that follow the AC75 race yachts throughout the competition. This is the first time hydrogen has been used to fuel chase boats at the event.
Each challenger competing in the America’s Cup is required to have a hydrogen-powered chase boat that supports the team during the competition. The chase boats follow the race yachts to provide support and gear that might be needed during the race.
“At the end of the 36th America’s Cup in 2021… we realized that we needed to do something more significant from a sustainability point of view. So, we decided that the future probably was hydrogen within the marine pleasure industry,” said Grant Dalton, America’s Cup CEO. “When we came to Barcelona, we needed a partner that could help up with this vision, and Air Products is that partner.”
The America’s Cup is underway in Barcelona, Spain and continues with sailing teams from around the world until Sunday, 27 October.
To learn more about the role hydrogen can play in decarbonizing the marine industry, visit Air Products’ Hydrogen Fueling for Ships webpage.
Air Products has once again earned a spot on Barron’s 100 Most Sustainable Companies List. This is Air Products’ seventh consecutive year on the list, which evaluates the largest public companies in the United States across several sustainability categories.
For this annual ranking of the most sustainable companies, Barron’s partnered with Calvert Research and Management, which analyzed the 1,000 largest U.S. public companies. Sustainability practices were evaluated on 230 performance indicators across five weighted categories—the planet, the workplace, customers, the community and shareholders.
Inclusion on Barron’s 100 Most Sustainable Companies list is Air Products’ latest recognition for its sustainability efforts. Recently, Air Products was included in S&P Global’s Sustainability Yearbook for 2025, and Air Products has received an “A” rating on MSCI’s environmental, social and governance ratings.
Learn more about Air Products' sustainability recognitions.
Air Products Membrane Solutions was recently awarded the Lorenzo Cagnoni Award for Green Innovation for its PRISM® GreenSep LNG Membrane Separator at Ecomondo, a green technology expo, in Rimini, Italy.
The PRISM® GreenSep LNG Membrane Separator, launched earlier this year, received the award in the bioenergy and agriculture sector. The Lorenzo Cagnoni Award for Green Innovation is awarded to the most cutting-edge technology in the various exhibition sectors and the three most innovative start-ups. The recognition is awarded in the following categories: waste as a resource, water cycle and blue economy, bioenergy and agriculture, circular and regenerative bio-economy, site and soil restoration, and environmental monitoring and earth observation.
“Our PRISM® GreenSep LNG membrane solution for bio-LNG producers delivers both financial and environmental sustainability benefits for our customers, by enabling a smooth, direct feed of biomethane into the liquefaction process,” said Dr. Erin Sorensen, Air Products’ General Manager, Membrane Solutions. ”I am honored to see our innovative technology be recognized by the Italian Exhibition Group with the Lorenzo Cagnoni Award for Green Innovation as evidence of the work that our team does every day to generate a cleaner future.”
PRISM® GreenSep LNG membrane separators eliminate the need for intermediate purification technologies such as amine scrubbing or thermal swing adsorption during bio-LNG production, allowing for a higher yield of bio-LNG while also reducing operational expenses and energy consumption. Bio-LNG is liquefied biomethane created from an organic source such as food, animal, or municipal waste.
Ecomondo is a key event for the green and circular economy where industrial groups, stakeholders, policy makers, opinion leaders, local authorities, research bodies and institutions come together and put in place key elements that define the strategies for the development of European Union environmental policy.
For more information on Air Products Membrane Solutions visit https://membranesolutions.com.
Air Products recently received three safety awards from the Powder Metallurgy Equipment Association (PMEA) during the organization’s annual meeting held this summer at PowderMet2024 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Air Products received the 2023 PMEA Safety Award in the Large Company category, which includes companies that have more than 200,000 total employee work hours per year.
The company also received 2023 PMEA Safety Awards for Achieving One Year Without a Lost Time Accident at two Air Products’ facilities in Creighton, Pennsylvania and Cleveland, Ohio. Air Products has air separation units at both facilities that serve customers in the powder metallurgy market.
Safety is a core value and fundamental to Air Products’ goal of being the safest, most diverse and most profitable industrial gas company in the world.
PMEA is one of six trade associations under the Metal Powder Industries Federation, a not-for-profit association formed by the powder metallurgy industry to advance the interests of the metal powder producing and consuming industries.
PowderMet2024 is the leading technical conference on powder metallurgy and particulate materials in the Americas and a hub for technology transfer for professionals from every part of the industry, including buyers and specifiers of metal powders, tooling and compacting presses, sintering furnaces, furnace belts, powder handling and blending equipment, quality-control and automation equipment, particle-size and powder-characterization equipment, consulting and research services.
To learn more about Air Products’ commitment to safety please see our 2024 Sustainability Report.
Air Products has received a score of 95 out of 100 on the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) Foundation’s 2023-2024 Corporate Equality Index (CEI), the nation’s foremost benchmarking survey and report measuring corporate policies and practices related to LGBTQ+ workplace equality. Air Products is one of more than 1,000 major U.S. businesses ranked in the 2023-2024 CEI.
“Everyday Air Products strives to create a workplace where every employee knows they belong and matter. Our goal is to cultivate a culture where employees are proud of their contributions and feel free to be their authentic selves,” said Victoria Brifo, Air Products’ senior vice president and Chief Human Resources Officer. “Air Products is honored to be recognized by the 2023-2024 Human Rights Campaign Foundation’s Corporate Equality Index, but we know there is always more work to be done.”
The HRC Foundation’s Corporate Equality Index rates companies on detailed criteria falling under four central pillars: non-discrimination policies across business entities, equitable benefits for LGBTQ+ workers and their families, supporting an inclusive culture, and corporate social responsibility.
In addition to taking part in the Corporate Equality Index, Air Products’ has also recently been recognized by Newsweek as one of America’s Greatest Workplaces for Diversity for 2024.
Air Products was one of seven large companies in its industry group to receive a five-star rating by Newsweek. According to Newsweek, the publication, along with market data research firm Plant-A Insights Group, created a scoring process using publicly available data, interviews with human resource professionals, and an anonymous online survey conducted among a diverse group of employees in the U.S. Respondents shared insights into corporate culture, working environments and other aspects of both their own companies and others they were familiar with, resulting in over 1.5 million company reviews.
Eric Guter, Air Products’ Global Vice President – Hydrogen for Mobility, recently was interviewed by Edmonton Global at the Canadian Hydrogen Convention about the company’s planned Net-Zero Hydrogen Energy Complex that will be built in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.
Air Products and its subsidiary, Air Products Canada, Ltd., in conjunction with the Government of Canada and the Province of Alberta, last year announced a multi-billion dollar plan to build a landmark new net-zero hydrogen energy complex that will make Edmonton the center of western Canada’s hydrogen economy and set the stage for Air Products to operate the most competitive and lowest-carbon-intensity hydrogen network in the world.
The project, announced last year, will begin with a transformative $1.3 billion net-zero hydrogen production and liquefaction facility and is expected to be onstream in 2024.
Guter’s complete interview with Edmonton Global is available for viewing on Air Products’ YouTube page.
To view Edmonton Global’s complete coverage of the Canadian Hydrogen Convention, visit Edmonton Global’s YouTube page.
Please contact us if you have any questions about our Sustainability commitments or activities.