Efficiency leap for liquid hydrogen: C&CS receives ZIM funding for innovative catalyst project

C&CS and TU Dresden optimize hydrogen liquefaction with new catalyst approach

16-Apr-2026

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C&CS catalysts and chemical specialties GmbH is setting another milestone in hydrogen research. Together with TU Dresden (Prof. Haberstroh), the company is launching a project funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWE) to optimize hydrogen liquefaction. The aim is to drastically reduce evaporation losses using innovative bifunctional ortho-para catalysts.

The "ortho-para trap" no longer snaps shut

Liquid hydrogen is the beacon of hope for heavy goods traffic, trains and long transportation routes. However, the physical laws of quantum theory present logistics with an expensive challenge: hydrogen molecules exist in two states - ortho and para.

If hydrogen is extremely deep-frozen for transportation, the ortho state is transformed into the para state. This process releases heat, which causes up to a third of the laboriously liquefied hydrogen in the tank to evaporate again (the so-called "boil-off" effect).

Bifunctional catalysts as a solution

C&CS has developed the solution to this energy problem. As part of the ZIM project (Central Innovation Program for SMEs) that has now been approved, a special catalyst is being developed that:

accelerates the conversion already during the cooling process,
massively increases the efficiency of cryo-coolers,
and virtually eliminates evaporation losses in the tank.

Strong partnership and federal funding

The project is being funded with up to 236,525 euros by AiF Projekt GmbH on behalf of the German government. C&CS is responsible for the development, production and chemical and structural characterization of the catalysts. TU Dresden is providing scientific support for the project and testing the performance of the catalysts. The aim is to fill cryo-cooler pilot plants with this technology and bring them to market maturity.

"Economic efficiency is the driving force behind the energy transition," explains Dr. Julius Nickl, founder and Managing Director of C&CS. "Our bifunctional catalysts massively minimize expensive energy losses when liquefying hydrogen. In this way, we are making a decisive contribution to making green hydrogen available across the board and efficiently."

Note: This article has been translated using a computer system without human intervention. LUMITOS offers these automatic translations to present a wider range of current news. Since this article has been translated with automatic translation, it is possible that it contains errors in vocabulary, syntax or grammar. The original article in German can be found here.

https://www.chemeurope.com/en/news/1188500/efficiency-leap-for-liquid-hydrogen-c-cs-receives-zim-funding-for-innovative-catalyst-project.html