CSIRO, Australia’s national science agency, has successfully trialled its hydrogen production technology at BlueScope’s Port Kembla Steelworks in New South Wales.
It says affordable and renewable hydrogen can be generated at scale to help decarbonise heavy industry.
CSIRO’s tubular solid oxide electrolysis (SOE) technology has clocked 1000 hours of successful operation in the trial with BlueScope Steel, which commenced in October 2024.
Unlike conventional hydrogen electrolysers, which rely heavily on electricity to split water into hydrogen and oxygen, CSIRO’s advanced SOE technology uses both waste heat (for example, steam from the steelworks) and electricity to produce hydrogen with greater efficiency.
Dr Sarb Giddey, senior principal research scientist and group leader in CSIRO, said the trial produced hydrogen with an electrical input of less than 36kWh per kilogram of hydrogen, by using the steam produced in the plant by the steelmaking processes.
Related articles:
- CSIRO solar venture nets record seed funding
- CSIRO launches survey into mining industry
- CSIRO launches program to make mining research accessible
“Since electricity takes up the lion’s share of variable production costs for renewable hydrogen, a substantial reduction in the electricity required (up to 30 per cent saving) for hydrogen production could be a game changer for the nascent hydrogen industry,” Giddey said.
“Taking a new technology out of the lab and into the field can highlight unforeseen challenges, so we are delighted to see that our technology is meeting the performance requirements in terms of hydrogen production, electrical efficiency and reliability.”
Chris Page, head of future technologies at BlueScope, sees hydrogen as an important part of BlueScope’s pathway to net zero.
“BlueScope is proud to support pilot projects on site, which align with our goals of low carbon emission steelmaking in the future. The CSIRO electrolyser pilot has produced positive outcomes in its short-term operation, and we look forward to seeing it evolve,” Page said.
This research is supported by the Science and Industry Endowment Fund.