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Today its range of applications extends from semiconductor production to petrochemicals, and touches on many other areas as well. In the chemical industry, for instance, hydrogen is used in the production of ethylene and methanol as well as for the manufacture of ammonia, an intermediate in the production of fertilizers. Some 75 percent of annual hydrogen production, currently at 600 to 700 billion cubic meters, is used in semiconductor production and in the chemical, petrochemical and steel industries. The oil refineries offer the largest market for freely traded hydrogen. Their enormous demand for hydrogen in the desulfurization of fuels, as described above in the section “Fuels”, has arisen due to the increasing stringency of environmental legislation. Running on low-sulfur gasoline, modern combustion engines are more efficient, use less fuel and emit fewer pollutants. |
 Berlin, Germany |
At present, the use of hydrogen as a fuel in the automotive industry does not yet figure prominently in our turnover. However, in our view it offers very substantial growth potential in the long term. Linde’s R&D activities are concentrated on innovative technologies for using hydrogen above all in vehicle fuel tanks systems and filling stations. In addition, we are a key driving force in establishing a hydrogen infrastructure; in this field we are cooperating closely with leading automobile manufacturers (see also “Vision of a Hydrogen Society”).
However, hydrogen is not only important as an environment-friendly fuel for the automotive sector. A large number of niche markets are also emerging wherever stored energy is required. These niche markets play a key role in securing a foothold for hydrogen and anchoring it within our societies. One such promising market is the use of hydrogen-powered fuel cells as an interruption-free power supply for cellphone masts. Since 2004, Linde has been teaming with the specialist fuel cell company P21 GmbH from Brunnthal near Munich to accelerate the development of this technology. Suitably low-cost fuel cells are due to be available at the end of 2005. Linde is also cooperating with other fuel cell manufacturers and working with them on joint projects spanning a range of fuel cell technology applications.