Hyundai Steel aims to drastically increase hydrogen production

By Kim Hyun-bin

Hyundai Steel has been investing heavily in the production of fuel cells and in developing uses of hydrogen, a byproduct of its steel manufacturing, to become a key player in new markets for the gas.

The company is set to supply its hydrogen byproduct for fuel cell electric vehicle (FCEV) production, as part of Hyundai Motor Group's “FCEV vision 2030,” which aims to lead in establishing a hydrogen economy through a stable hydrogen supply network.

Coke oven gas (COG), a byproduct generated in the coke production process, is a key component in producing hydrogen. COG is mostly composed of tar, sulfur and benzene and the steel mills extract hydrogen by purification.

Through a temperature swing adsorption process, hydrogen with a purity of 99.999 percent can be extracted, a process dubbed “five nine,” the company said.

“To be used as the fuel source for fuel cell EVs it has to meet the complex conditions of five nine,” a Hyundai Steel official said.

The plant is capable of producing 3,500 tons of hydrogen each year. When putting a 6.33-kilogram single charged Hyundai NEXO with a travel range of 609?kilometers and driving 20,000 kilometers annually as the standard, the hydrogen extracted from the plant could power 17,000 for an entire year.

Half of the hydrogen produced at Hyundai Steel's Dangjin plant is used for fuel cells and a cleaning process for semiconductors, while the other half is used to prevent product oxidation at the plant.

Hyundai Steel started construction of a hydrogen plant in 2014 and began production in January of 2016, becoming a key player in powering Hyundai Motor Group's hydrogen economy initiative.

“Hyundai Steel aims to become an eco-friendly steel mill and has been pursuing active resource circulation and recycling,” Hyundai Steel CEO Ahn Dong-il said. “We will also actively partake in hydrogen production and engage in eco-friendly energy sectors to become the world's leading eco-friendly steel mill.”

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Recently, Hyundai Steel released a motion graphic video that entails the company's future vision in its hydrogen business. The video showcases the process of the company's hydrogen production procedures and its plans for a 10-fold increase in capacity by 2025.

Management is reviewing an increase in the plant's annual hydrogen production from 3,500 tons to 40,000 tons, enough to operate 200,000 NEXOs per year.

The company also produces metal bipolar plates that could be applied to 16,000 FCEVs annually.

The company initiated technical development of bipolar plates in 2013 and went into mass production in 2018.

Hyundai Steel will continue to review new growth engines in the mobility and hydrogen industries in preparation for ever-changing trends, the company said.

“We will prepare for the future, shifting our focus from value growth to profitability and establishing a strong steelmaker corporate identity,” Ahn said. “To secure our future growth base, we need to be aware of the endlessly changing industry structure while also maintaining an interest in rising sectors.”