Turning Waste into Treasure: East German Hydrogen Energy Powers Hydrogen Production from Coke Oven Gas in the Steel Industry
Release time:
2025-07-04
The steel industry is a vital foundational sector of the national economy and a major consumer of energy and emitter of carbon dioxide. As the world’s largest producer and consumer of steel, China must urgently pursue green development in its steel sector.
The coke oven gas-to-hydrogen and LNG co-production project separates and purifies the by-product coke oven gas from steel enterprises to produce high-purity hydrogen and LNG, turning waste into valuable resources and achieving high value-added utilization in line with the principles of the circular economy.
Industry reports indicate that hydrogen production from coke oven gas achieves carbon emission reductions of 88% and over 95% compared to conventional natural gas–based and coal–based hydrogen production, respectively.
Amid this blue hydrogen wave, Yantai Dongde Hydrogen Energy Technology Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as “Dongde Hydrogen”) has been deeply involved in projects such as Ansteel CIMC’s first coke oven gas-to-hydrogen and co-produced LNG project and the Linyi Gangtou Hydrogen Energy Industrial Base project, setting an innovative benchmark for the steel industry’s green, sustainable development and hydrogen refueling.
The “Coke Oven Gas-to-Hydrogen and Co-Produced LNG” project, jointly invested in and constructed by CIMC Enric and Ansteel Corporation, officially commenced operations in September 2024. Leveraging Ansteel’s abundant coke oven gas resources, the facility has an annual hydrogen production capacity of 15,000 tons.
Dongde Hydrogen Energy supplied four DZ22-1000 diaphragm compressor units for the project, used to compress and fill hydrogen produced from coking gas at Ansteel CIMC. The inlet pressure is 1.6 MPa, the discharge pressure is 22 MPa, the total flow rate is 4,000 Nm³/h, and the specific energy consumption is 6.35 Nm³/kWh. Dongde Hydrogen Energy’s diaphragm compressor units ensure stable compression and delivery of gas during the separation and purification of coking gas, while also providing reliable power support for the project’s automated production process.
According to reports, the project covers a total area of 115,000 square meters with a total investment of approximately RMB 638 million. The hydrogen produced will primarily be used for hydrogen-based metallurgy and hydrogen fuel cell vehicles, while LNG can replace diesel and industrial coal, meeting the demand for clean energy sources such as hydrogen and LNG from the steel plant and surrounding customers. The project is expected to reduce annual emissions by 470,000 tons of carbon dioxide, 174 tons of sulfur dioxide, and 1,344 tons of nitrogen oxides.
The Linyi Steel Investment Hydrogen Energy Industrial Base project is located in the Lingang Economic Development Zone and represents Linyi’s first demonstration initiative to advance hydrogen energy development. As the EPC general contractor for the project, Dongde Hydrogen undertook the full-station EPC construction for phases I and II of the Linyi Steel Investment Coking Oven Coal Purification-to-Hydrogen Industrial Base. Officially breaking ground in June 2023, the project was completed over two years, becoming a modern, green, energy-efficient, smart, and highly efficient hydrogen energy industrial base integrating hydrogen production, refueling, and utilization.
In the Linyi Gangtou coke oven coal purification for hydrogen production project, Dongde Hydrogen Energy also supplied eight sets of its self-developed diaphragm compressor units, with an inlet pressure of 1.7 MPaG, a discharge pressure of 22 MPaG, and a flow rate of up to 1,000 Nm³/h. The system is equipped with filling columns at the downstream end, providing a filling capacity of 8,000 Nm³/h, making it the largest hydrogen energy industry cluster in Linyi City.
The successful implementation of this project has enabled the Linyi Steel Investment Hydrogen Energy Industrial Base to establish an integrated “steel–coke–chemicals–hydrogen” industrial chain characterized by resource sharing and product complementarity. It ingeniously leverages coke oven gas, a byproduct of the upstream 1.16-million-ton coal dry distillation and comprehensive utilization project, thereby fully capitalizing on the region’s energy‑complementary advantages. Through a series of process steps—including compression, purification, decarbonization, and cryogenic separation—the project produces LNG/CNG products. Meanwhile, the hydrogen‑rich gas generated during cryogenic separation is fed to a PSA hydrogen recovery unit, yielding both industrial‑grade and high‑purity hydrogen products.
The construction of the Linyi Steel Investment Hydrogen Energy Industrial Base project not only means that the Lingang Chemical Park will gain robust supplies of hydrogen and steam, but also heralds an upgrade and expansion of the region’s industrial system. With the base now in operation, numerous enterprises will enjoy a stable energy supply, driving the sustained prosperity of the Lingang Chemical Park.
As the domestic manufacturer with the most comprehensive hydrogen energy equipment industry chain and a provider of integrated solutions, Dongde Hydrogen has supplied over one hundred sets of equipment for hydrogen refueling stations worldwide and is the first company in China to achieve commercial application of 90 MPa high-pressure diaphragm compressors. Leveraging its technological leadership in the compressor field, the company is actively expanding industrial synergies and offers:
“Integrated Hydrogen Production and Refueling Solution”
“Comprehensive Energy Station Construction Solution for Oil, Gas, Hydrogen, and Electricity”
“Natural Gas-Hydrogen Blending Application Solution”
In recent years, Dongde Hydrogen Energy has been deeply involved in numerous national and provincial hydrogen energy demonstration projects. These initiatives have significantly advanced the development of China’s hydrogen infrastructure and the robust growth of its hydrogen industry, including:
Hainan’s largest integrated energy refueling demonstration station
Guizhou Liupanshui’s first hydrogen energy integrated refueling station
The first integrated water electrolysis and hydrogen refueling station in Southwest China
Xinjiang’s first integrated energy station
Ningbo-Zhoushan Port’s first integrated hydrogen energy comprehensive refueling station
Weifang Port’s first hydrogen refueling station in Shandong Province
Shandong Province’s first green hydrogen energy storage demonstration project
Heilongjiang’s first green hydrogen production base in the east
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