The Fraunhofer Institute for Interfacial and Biochemical Engineering IGB is participating in a binational research and development cooperation between Germany and Morocco to develop and promote hydrogen technology and the “Power-to-X” sector in the Maghreb state. According to its own information, the Fraunhofer IGB has already carried out studies there and is working with Moroccan research and industrial partners on the “Green Ammonia” project.
As part of the National Hydrogen Strategy published in June, the federal government declared “green” hydrogen to be a key future technology. The Ambassador of the Kingdom of Morocco to Germany, Zohour Alaoui, has signed a memorandum of understanding on behalf of the Moroccan Ministry of Energy, Mines and Environment with the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development, which will support the development and promotion of the “Power-to-X” sector in Morocco and initiate the construction of the first industrial plant for green hydrogen in Africa.
The Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft is involved in the project as a partner of the Moroccan Research Institute for Solar Energy and Forms of Energy (IRESEN) and is represented, among others, by the Fraunhofer IGB. The “Green Ammonia” project aims to find new ways and establish technologies “to efficiently extract green hydrogen and green ammonia and use them as sustainable raw materials for the fertilizer industry,” according to the institute. Together with the OCP Group and Green Energy Park (GEP), the IGB is currently preparing to set up a demonstration plant for the synthesis of green ammonia in Morocco. The capacity is around four tons per day and is used, among other things, for technical and economic testing of two electrolyzer technologies.
OCP (Office Chérifien des Phosphates), based in Casablanca, is the largest supplier of phosphates on the global market. The company mines extensive phosphate deposits with an estimated volume of 85 million tonnes. OCP is one of the largest importers of ammonia and processes it in various types of fertilizer. The project aims to cover part of the ammonia requirement with CO2-neutral ammonia in the medium term.
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Photos:
“Green Ammonia” team: Fraunhofer scientist Lénárd Csepei, IGB (3rd from left) and Karl-Heinz Küsters, IMWS (4th from left), with partners from the “Green Ammonia” project in Morocco. / © OCP
