Castellón, Spain, August 19th 2025 — In alignment with its commitment to advancing decarbonization of the chemical industries, UBE Corporation Europe is actively contributing to the ALCHEMHY Project, a Horizon Europe-funded initiative focused on developing electrified production for ammonia (NH₃) and methanol (MeOH) using renewable hydrogen as a feedstock.
An Innovative Approach
Ammonia and methanol are essential chemicals for agriculture, energy, and industry—but their conventional production methods are energy-intensive and primarily based on fossil fuels. ALCHEMHY aims to address these challenges by exploring alternative, electrified processes that integrate renewable energy, renewable hydrogen, and advanced digital technologies.
The project integrates four innovative technologies aimed at enabling alternative production routes for the production of ammonia and methanol. These technologies will be demonstrated across pilot sites, highlighting their scalability, operational flexibility, and potential to reduce emissions in chemical manufacturing.
- Magnetic-heated sorption-enhanced reactors (MSER)
- Direct electrochemical synthesis (DESA)
- Plasma catalytic hydrogenation (PCH)
- Small-flexible methanol reactors (SFMR)
Scientific & Value Chain Collaboration for Industrial Innovation
This collaborative project brings together research institutions, universities, and industrial partners to explore technically viable and scalable solutions for hydrogen-based chemical production. The aim is to improve process efficiency and resource optimization in the synthesis of essential chemicals.
Kicked off in early November, 2024, in last June, UBE participated in the second in-person partner meeting at the National Institute of Chemistry (NIC) in Ljubljana, Slovenia. The meeting reviewed progress across the project’s Work Packages (WPs), with a focus on the design and testing of new catalysts—a key step in developing alternative chemical production pathways.
UBE’s Role: Bridging Innovation and Industrial Application
UBE, as a major user of NH₃ for the caprolactam and fertilizer businesses, will actively support the ALCHEMHY project activities aimed at the techno-economic assessment of downstream ammonia uses in these fields, based on the scaling of the new technologies developed in the ALCHEMHY project for ammonia production.
This contribution will generate critical insights into the technical readiness and scalability of ALCHEMHY’s solutions, supporting their potential transition from research to industrial deployment.
These technologies are being assessed for their technical feasibility, energy performance, and potential for industrial replication. The project also leverages digital twins to optimize operations and supports workforce development through re-skilling initiatives.
A Step Toward a Decarbonized Industry
This partnership reflects UBE’s commitment to responsible innovation and aligns with our purpose of “Breaking through with the chemistry of hope.” We remain focused on contributing to solutions that are scientifically sound, transparent, and validated through research and collaboration.
Stay Informed
Follow the ALCHEMHY Project to learn more about its milestones and technical developments:
🔗 Project Website https://alchemhyproject.eu/
📬 Subscribe to the Newsletter : https://alchemhyproject.eu/newsletters/
💼 LinkedIn: ALCHEMHY Project EU💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/alchemhy-project-eu
