"The purpose of making a positive difference in the world continues to this day with the company’s mission of being a decarbonization technology leader."

Energy

Decarbonizing hard-to-abate sectors through innovation

Topsoe is pioneering the decarbonization of hard-to-abate sectors through groundbreaking innovation that will fuel the energy transition.

July 21, 2023

Topsoe

Topsoe

Decarbonizing hard-to-abate sectors through innovation

Topsoe is pioneering the decarbonization of hard-to-abate sectors through groundbreaking innovation that will fuel the energy transition.

July 24, 2023

Topsoe

It is the final call to action, if the world is to keep global warming below 1.5 degrees and mitigate climate change. Heavy industry and transportation are responsible for around a fourth of global greenhouse gas emissions. These sectors, such as aviation, are so-called hard-to-abate because they are difficult to electrify, and thus, the world needs solutions to bridge the gap between renewable energy and e.g., the fuel tank of an airplane in order to reduce emissions.

“There is a critical need to scale up renewable energy and electrolysis, as well as ensure the right framework conditions and incentives. We need radical change and leadership to drive the green energy transition. With highly innovative technology, Topsoe is determined to solve the challenge of decarbonizing the hard-to-abate sectors,” says CEO of Topsoe, Roeland Baan.

Solving vital societal issues through science and innovation has been the heart of Topsoe since it was founded by the late Dr. Haldor Topsoe in 1940. The purpose of making a positive difference in the world continues to this day with the company’s mission of being a decarbonization technology leader.

Topsoe is creating and scaling the technologies and solutions needed to transform renewable electricity, biomass, and waste into green hydrogen and subsequently, green ammonia, eMethanol, sustainable aviation fuels, and biofuels that will power a sustainable future. Catalyst and electrolysis technologies are key to this. 

Topsoe has pioneered the development of catalysts and manufactures 150 different types. The catalysts and associated technologies are used for converting renewable feedstocks, such as renewable electricity, and waste, or hydrocarbon feedstocks, such as natural gas, into ammonia, hydrogen and methanol.

To make green hydrogen you need water, an electrolyzer, and a source of renewable electricity to power it. Hydrogen can then be used directly as a fuel or converted into e.g., green Ammonia which is an extremely versatile fuel. When the electrolysis of water is powered by renewable energy, the production of hydrogen leaves a very small environmental footprint. Topsoe’s Solid Oxide Electrolyzer Cell (SOEC) technology is the most efficient electrolysis system known today, up to 35% more efficient than competing technologies, and the company is currently building the world’s first SOEC manufacturing facility at industrial scale.

“The solutions to decarbonize heavy industry and transportation are already here and proven. The challenge is to scale, commercialize, and ramp up manufacturing quickly enough to avert irreparable damages to the planet. Topsoe is one of the few companies capable of providing the insights and technology needed to facilitate the production and large-scale availability of next-generation fuels and chemicals,” says Baan.