LANXESS is swapping natural gas with hydrogen at its Krefeld-Uerdingen site, cutting the carbon footprint of its iron oxide pigment manufacturing via around 6,000 metric tons a year.
The specialty chemical company has transformed its spray dryer to run on hydrogen, making it one of the first large-scale industrial plants in Germany designed to use hydrogen as a fuel in ongoing operation.
The hydrogen is manufactured next door at Covestro’s chlorine electrolysis plant and delivered directly to LANXESS via a dedicated pipeline, turning the neighboring Verbund operations into a main benefit in the site’s decarbonization drive.
“Switching from a natural gas burner to a hydrogen burner is a considerable technological step towards low-greenhouse-gas processes,” mentioned Michael Ertl, Head of the Inorganic Pigments business unit at LANXESS. “We are showing that decarbonizing industry works not only in pilot projects, however also in the day-today operation of big manufacturing centers.”
LANXESS installed the hydrogen burner at the end of 2025 and has steadily brought it online. The system is designed to operate absolutely on hydrogen and needed a committed hydrogen line, an adapted burner, upgraded measurement and control technology, and additional safety systems.
The venture emphasize how closely incorporated industrial sites can hasten the shift to lower-carbon manufacturing.
“The venture indicates that industrial partners at a Verbund web site can especially successfully shape the transition to climate-friendly manufacturing,” stated Rob Eek, manufacturing Manager at Covestro in Krefeld-Uerdingen.
Short pipeline routes, shared infrastructure and established safety systems offer LANXESS with a dependable hydrogen supply at the same time as minimizing the need for new infrastructure.
The companies have worked together at Krefeld-Uerdingen for decades. Covestro supplies nitrobenzene for LANXESS’ iron oxide pigment manufacturing. The process creates aniline as a byproduct, which is reduced to Covestro as an essential raw material for plastics manufaturing.
The hydrogen venture provides a new climate-focused dimension to that installed manufacturing network.
LANXESS’ Inorganic Pigments business is among the world’s leading manufacturers of inorganic pigments, providing iron oxide and chromium oxide pigments to the construction, paints and coatings, plastics and specialty industries.
Krefeld-Uerdingen is home to the world’s largest iron oxide pigment manufacturing facility, where the pigments have been produced for 100 years.
The site already advantages from a relatively low carbon footprint. A big factor is the Laux method, which manufactures sincerely no waste and uses energy mainly efficiently as compared with alternative manufacturing methods.
With the switch from natural gas to hydrogen, LANXESS is now pushing that efficiency further—bringing hydrogen from the pilot stage into the constant operation of a main industrial manufacturing facility.
