LANXESS has started using hydrogen instead of natural gas to power the drying process for iron oxide pigments at its Krefeld-Uerdingen site in Germany. The project makes the spray dryer one of the first large-scale industrial plants in Germany to use hydrogen as a fuel in continuous operations.
The switch is expected to reduce carbon dioxide emissions from the facility by around 6,000 metric tons annually. The hydrogen is produced as a byproduct of chlorine electrolysis at the neighbouring Covestro plant and supplied directly to LANXESS through a pipeline.
The project forms part of LANXESS’s efforts to reduce emissions from its production operations and develop lower-carbon industrial processes. The company installed the hydrogen burner at the end of 2025 and gradually brought the system into operation.
The burner is designed to operate entirely on hydrogen. Its installation required a dedicated hydrogen supply line, a modified burner, new measurement and control technology, and additional safety and control systems. “Switching from a natural gas burner to a hydrogen burner is a significant technological step towards low-greenhouse-gas processes,” said Michael Ertl, Head of the Inorganic Pigments business unit at LANXESS. “We are proving that decarbonizing industry works not only in pilot projects, but also in the day-to-day operation of large production facilities.”
The location of the project at the Krefeld-Uerdingen Verbund site has helped enable the hydrogen transition. The close proximity of LANXESS and Covestro facilities allows the hydrogen to be transported through a short pipeline, while shared infrastructure and established safety systems support continuous supply. “Industrial partners at a Verbund site can particularly successfully shape the transition to climate-friendly production,” said Rob Eek, Production Manager at Covestro in Krefeld-Uerdingen.
LANXESS and Covestro have an established production relationship at the site. Covestro supplies nitrobenzene used by LANXESS in the manufacture of iron oxide pigments. Aniline generated as a byproduct of the process is returned to Covestro for use as a raw material in plastics production. The hydrogen project adds another element to the partnership by using a byproduct from Covestro’s chlorine electrolysis process as an industrial fuel at LANXESS.
LANXESS’s Inorganic Pigments business produces iron oxide and chromium oxide pigments for construction materials, paints and coatings, plastics and other applications. The Krefeld-Uerdingen facility is the company’s largest iron oxide pigment production site and has manufactured these pigments for around 100 years.
