Burning hydrogen is considered problematic. The first element in the periodic table is relatively expensive as a fuel today. Simon Hahn already had a penchant for solving problems when he was a child. Now, as a budding entrepreneur, he plans to do just that: burn hydrogen. But not in the way you might think.
“The bigger the problem – and climate change is one of our biggest problems right now – the bigger the solution, the greater the sense of happiness,” says the chemical engineer, who is currently working on spinning off his start-up called Clean H2eat. It is important to note that not all combustion is the same. In the case of Clean H2eat, combustion takes place without flames or harmful emissions. The budding entrepreneur reported on this at the latest edition of HC-H2 Brainergy Park Connects to kick off 2025.
The network meeting brings together residents who are based in the highly innovative Brainergy Park business park or plan to move there in the future. Simon Hahn is already there. Last year, the research assistant at the Institute for Sustainable Hydrogen Economy (INW) at Forschungszentrum Jülich moved into an office in the Startup Village. Today, he not only works with hydrogen, but is also preparing for the launch of Clean H2eat this year.
Burning hydrogen: It’s all about how you do it
Back to the actual problem of burning hydrogen: it all depends on how it is done. And why. Simon Hahn’s business model is based on what is known as catalytic combustion. No flames, no harmful exhaust gases such as nitrogen oxide and carbon dioxide. Hydrogen and oxygen from the air react together on a catalyst. This produces water vapour. And heat. And this heat is to be provided with particularly high efficiency using patented technology, for example for many industrial applications.
“An enormous number of products require process heat during their manufacture. And this is usually at temperatures above 100 degrees. Whether it’s in the production of sweaters, the manufacture of paper or baking bread rolls. Heat pumps, which are ideal for heating buildings, for example, lose efficiency at temperatures above 100 degrees. For higher temperatures, electric resistance heaters, such as those used in instantaneous water heaters, can be used.
However, these consume a lot of electricity and are correspondingly expensive to operate. Burning with a flame at high temperatures produces nitrogen oxide emissions,” says Simon Hahn, explaining the market gap he sees and wants to fill. Catalytic combustion of hydrogen starts at a low temperature and can then be regulated upwards as required, sometimes up to 1000 degrees. One of the first major goals after the launch is to raise money for an industrial-scale plant.
is an advantage that conventional heat generation with a hydrogen flame does not have.
Photo: Jülich Research Centre/Nörig
More flexibility for consumers
According to Simon Hahn, catalytic combustion could also become relevant for heating in the long term. Not as the sole technology, however, because heat pumps are generally a very good solution due to their efficiency. “However, I could well imagine a hybrid system that can do both: electric heating and catalytic combustion. This would give consumers greater flexibility and a higher level of security of supply. In the future, there will not always be solutions based on the “either/or” principle, but rather technologies that complement each other in a meaningful way.”
Especially with a view to the future, when the price structure changes. Fossil fuels will become more expensive due to rising CO2 pricing, while hydrogen prices will fall as the market ramps up, making gas more competitive.
The HC-H2 Brainergy Park Connect kicked off its third year with a presentation by Simon Hahn. “This is a place where structural change is beginning to take hold,” said Prof. Peter Wasserscheid at the start of the meeting, referring to the growing number of participants. “This is where we exchange ideas and make contacts. The more the Brainergy Park grows, the more we will grow at this meeting,” predicts the spokesperson for the host Helmholtz Cluster for Sustainable and Infrastructure-Compatible Hydrogen Economy (HC-H2).
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