The 13th edition of the Roundtables of Arbois and the Mediterranean saw Morocco’s OCP Group and Mohammed VI Polytechnic University (UM6P) showcase progress on green hydrogen technologies, as well as the importance of such technologies for the institutions.
The “Agriculture and Hydrogen” roundtable held on Thursday saw the participation of Leonardus Vergutz, Director of Innovation at OCP, and Abdessamad El Faik, Director of UM6P’s Laboratory of Inorganic Matertials for Sustainable Energy Technologies.
Speaking on the importance of green hydrogen for the company, Vergutz explained that the technology is important to counter the effects of climate change.
“Agriculture nowadays emits around one quarter of all the emissions that we have every single year,” he explained, adding that a big chunk of the emissions comes from land change due to deforestation and green ammonia use for fertilizers.
“Besides being one of the biggest emitters of greenhouse gasses, agriculture can be, and must be, turning from being part of the problem to becoming also part of the solution,” he added.
The process should start with producing more green and renewable energy to allow manufacturers like OCP to produce more green fertilizers, in which green hydrogen is an essential ingredient.
The Moroccan group has a commitment to produce a million tonnes of green ammonia by 2027, he detailed, specifying that UM6P had been involved with the development of that technology.
Agriculture in its current form is leaving behind a trail of environmental damage due to a cycle of low productivity and changing soils, Vergutz explained, adding that the key to decrease the sector’s emissions is to increase productivity.
Green hydrogen would have an effect on the entirety of the supply chain in agriculture, he explained, allowing farmers to produce higher yields in a more efficient manner than they do today.
For his part, Abdessamad Faik explained how emissions can be lowered in the production of ammonia, a project which UM6P is working on in partnership with OCP.
Producing green ammonia is a particularly challenging task, he explained, as it necessitates making each of the inputs and processes involved in making the various ingredients eco-friendly themselves.
Faik explained, in this context, the Green Ammonia Pilot (GAP) project, which is testing various technologies in the field of ammonia to find the most suitable and eco-friendly one.
“The objective of this project is to optimize the operation of this system,” Faik said, adding that the university signed another agreement with OCP and Shell to work on a bigger-scale project to work on new cost-effective production and storage methods.
Despite hydrogen being vital to achieving a more low-emission and eco-friendly energy ecosystem, it has long posed various challenges in its storage and transport due to its low density and explosive nature.
Renewable energy firm CWP Global and hydrogen storage company Hydrogenious LOHC Technologies announced on Thursday that they will study the possibilities of transporting 500 tons of hydrogen from Morocco to Europe, with a feasibility study set to be launched soon.
The Round Tables of Arbois is an annual multidisciplinary international conference that tackles science and technology-related issues. This year, it is organized under the theme “Hydrogen Tomorrow, Myths and Realities.”
During the event’s first day, UM6P France Director Fahd Benkirane highlighted Morocco’s progress and commitment to green energy, including green hydrogen.
“With such momentum, our goal of achieving 52% renewable energy by 2030, including green hydrogen, is within reach,” Benkirane said, citing major renewable energy projects in the country such as the Noor-Ouarzazate solar energy complex.
