Agfa advances sustainable innovation through strategic collaboration with VITO and EU funding for green hydrogen production
29 February 2024 - 5:45PM
Agfa advances sustainable innovation through strategic
collaboration with VITO and EU funding for green hydrogen
production
Agfa advances sustainable innovation through strategic
collaboration with VITO and EU funding for green hydrogen
production
Mortsel, Belgium - February 29, 2024 – 7:45 a.m.
CETAgfa is accelerating sustainable technology
advancements for ZIRFON membranes:
- Agfa strengthens its
collaboration with renowned research and technology organization
VITO for the development of a new generation of separator membranes
for alkaline water electrolysis
- Agfa’s ZIRFON membrane
production unit gains momentum thanks to EU Innovation Fund Grant
and environmental permit
Strategic research collaborationAgfa will
continue its collaboration with VITO, a global technology
development center, to pioneer a new generation of separator
membranes for alkaline water electrolyzers. Agfa and VITO have a
rich shared history within this field, which resulted in the
commercial launch of the first generation of ZIRFON membranes in
2007.
Within their extended collaboration, VITO will work with Agfa on
developing novel porous gas separator membranes to improve
electrolyzer performance and reduce overall hydrogen production
cost. Agfa and VITO will actively pursue funding opportunities to
further boost their joint research, including Belgian federal (e.g.
Clean Hydrogen for Clean Industry) and regional (e.g. VLAIO)
calls.
EU funding for membrane production
plantConcurrently, Agfa has been awarded an 11 million
Euro grant from the prestigious EU Innovation Fund for its
GIGA-SCALES project. This funding will act as a driving force for
the establishment of Agfa’s pioneering industrial-scale ZIRFON
membranes production plant in Mortsel, Belgium. These cutting-edge
membranes are deployed as separators in alkaline water
electrolyzers, revolutionizing green hydrogen production. The
production plant’s entry into operation is foreseen for October
2025.
With over 100 companies worldwide already utilizing ZIRFON
membranes for large-scale hydrogen projects, Agfa is rapidly
expanding its production capacity. The upcoming industrial unit
will be able to produce membranes representing 20 gigawatt per year
of alkaline water electrolysis (corresponding to an annual
reduction of 15 million tonnes of CO2 emissions for each 20 GW
delivered). The scale at which ZIRFON will become available allows
the worldwide deployment of water electrolyzers, which are at the
heart of the green hydrogen economy.
Agfa recently secured the environmental permit
from the local authorities for the new ZIRFON production plant. It
will be designed for future extensions that ensure scalability
according to market demands.
Agfa’s CEO Pascal Juery commented: "We are dedicated to bringing
innovative technology to contribute to the EU's mission for a
carbon-neutral future. We have therefore prolonged our strategic
collaboration with VITO. Our ZIRFON membranes business grew
exponentially in 2023 and we are honored that the EU Innovation
Fund decided to support our plans with an 11-million-euro grant.
Furthermore, as we obtained all environmental permits, we are
confident that the plant will be operational by October 2025 to be
ready for the expected further increase in customer demand.”
VITO’s CEO Inge Neven commented: “Hydrogen plays an important
role in the transition towards cleaner and more sustainable energy
sources. We are developing materials that enable safe and cost
effective production of hydrogen. Agfa is a partner with a proven
track record to bring these new materials successfully to the
market. We are looking forward to the continued collaboration.”
About ZIRFON Green hydrogen production involves
water electrolysis, a process using green electrical energy to
convert water into oxygen and hydrogen, which are then kept
separate by a membrane. Zirfon membranes, employed in advanced
alkaline electrolysis, are renowned for their consistently high
productivity and durability under dynamic operating conditions,
enhancing the efficiency and reliability of electrolytic systems,
while limiting maintenance.The unparalleled efficacy of ZIRFON
membranes in green hydrogen production is demonstrated by their
exceptional productivity, four times higher than conventional
membranes while also allowing safe intermittent operation of the
electrolyzer, enhancing electrolytic systems' efficiency and
reliability.Learn more at www.agfa.com/zirfon and
www.agfa.com/corporate/newzirfonplant/
About the EU Innovation FundThe Innovation
Fund, financed by EU Emissions Trading System revenues, is one
of the world’s largest funding programmes for the demonstration of
innovative low-carbon technologies. The Fund focuses on highly
innovative clean technologies and big flagship projects with
European added value that can bring significant emission and
greenhouse gas reductions.”
The Innovation Fund is a key funding instrument for delivering
the EU’s economy-wide commitments under the Paris
Agreement and the climate and energy priorities put forward in
the REPowerEU Plan, the Hydrogen Bank, the Green
Deal Industrial Plan and the Net-Zero Industry Act.
About VITOVITO is the reference for
independent, applied technological research to generate a positive
impact for a society in transition. Scientifically based, driven by
collaboration and solution-oriented. It combines its domain
knowledge of people and environment with technological innovations,
(pilot) infrastructure and digital applications. In this way VITO
realizes a measurable effect for citizens, industry and policy in
Flanders, Europe and the world, for its three impact domains:
sustainable use of raw materials (circularity-bio-economy, energy
and water), climate mitigation and adaptation, and a sustainable
living environment for all. In this way, it can improve the quality
of life for all and support the United Nations SDGs. Together for a
better future.
About Agfa The Agfa-Gevaert Group is a
leading company in imaging technology and IT solutions with over
150 years of experience. The Group holds three divisions: Radiology
Solutions, HealthCare IT, and Digital Print & Chemicals. They
develop, manufacture and market analogue and digital systems for
the healthcare sector, for specific industrial applications and for
the printing industry. In 2022, the Group realized a turnover of
1,857 million Euro.
ContactViviane DictusDirector Corporate
Communicationstel. ++32 0 3 444 7124e-mail:
viviane.dictus@agfa.com
“Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are
however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect
those of the European Union or the European Climate, Infrastructure
and Environment Executive Agency (CINEA). Neither the European
Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for
them.”
- Press release in pdf
- Logo funded by the EU
AGFA Gevaert NV (EU:AGFB)
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