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A new impulse paper from DIN, DKE and VDI shows how the concept of the circular economy can be applied in the expansion of hydrogen technologies and the role norms and standards play in this. The goal: to reduce the enormous demand for raw materials and to think about recyclability at an early stage.
Hydrogen is considered a key element of the energy transition, but the new technologies usually require the extraction of critical raw materials such as platinum or iridium. This releases large amounts of greenhouse gases. The concept of the circular economy uses materials that are already in the value cycle and thus offers great potential for emission savings.
DIN, DKE and VDI now show in their new impulse paper "How can a circular economy make the use of hydrogen technologies material and resource efficient? "
The impulse paper provides an overview of existing standards for the environmentally friendly design of products (Design4Circularity) and for increasing material efficiency, which can be used and adapted for hydrogen technologies. The experts involved in the preparation were able to draw on findings from the work on two standardisation roadmaps: The Circular Economy standardisation roadmap was published at the beginning of 2023, and the Hydrogen Technologies standardisation roadmap is currently being developed. Experts from the Fraunhofer Society, universities and manufacturers of fuel cells and electrolysers have also contributed.
If circular economy strategies are used in the development of hydrogen technologies, critical raw materials can be recycled to the highest possible degree and a more stable supply of raw materials can be achieved through closed value-added cycles.
Dr. Tim Brückmann, Coordination Environment and Sustainability at DKE, states: "We are at a very early stage in making the approaches of the circular economy usable for work on hydrogen technologies. This holds great opportunities if we succeed in bringing the knowledge from pilot projects and research into standardisation and in joining forces with industry. This would cover existing standardisation needs and enable standards to be updated in a rapid development cycle. "
"We now have the opportunity to integrate circular economy strategies into the standardization of hydrogen technologies at an early stage. This makes it possible to strengthen resource independence in the future hydrogen energy system and, above all, to use critical raw materials more efficiently," says Kevin Hares, project manager at VDI.
Alexandra Engelt, Head of Strategic Development Circular Economy at DIN, adds: "Consideration of a circular economy is particularly useful in growing technology fields such as hydrogen, so that recyclable products can enter the market. Existing circular design standards should therefore already be considered or new standards developed."
In addition to existing standards that are already applicable, the impulse paper also provides an overview of research projects that can develop new approaches and form a basis for future standards. This includes Clean Hydrogen Partnership with the BEST4Hy project, which finances the development of new recycling processes for fuel cells. Another example is the ReNaRe project of the Federal Ministry of Education and Research, which is part of the H2Giga technology platform. In the ReNaRe consortium, 13 partners are working on recycling and recycling concepts to close material cycles of critical raw materials. This shows how important norms and standards are to implement principles of the circular economy. They enable the compatibility of individual products and components and provide methods for testing the safety and functionality of used parts.