Aluminium Today reports that German materials fabrication company The Höfer Group has successfully used hydrogen in production trials at its facility in Hettstedt, Germany.

The trials were conducted by a partner consortium participating in HyAlu, a three-year research project approved for funding in 2024 by the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Protection. The project aims to examine whether hydrogen can be safely and efficiently integrated into existing aluminium production processes. It will also investigate the influence of the energy source on the melting process, quality, and properties of an aluminium smelter.

Partners include Jasper GmbH, the Gas- und Wärme-Institut Essen e.V. (GWI), Bloom Engineering Company, the Otto-von-Guericke University Magdeburg, and Nippon Sanso Europe.

As reported by Aluminium Today, the existing melting furnace at Höfer Metall Technik (HMT), which is equipped with two burners and has a heating capacity of approximately 2.2 MW, was modified to use hydrogen. The fuels tested were hydrogen and natural gas enriched with hydrogen.

The system was operated successfully with hydrogen concentrations ranging from 45% up to approximately 100% in natural gas. The burner system demonstrated stable operational behaviour even at varying hydrogen concentrations.

HMT said it would evaluate the knowledge gained and investigate the potential of hydrogen technology for aluminium production on an industrial scale.