Heraeus Precious Metals commits to the hydrogen economy

Germany-based Heraeus Precious Metals has established a new dedicated Hydrogen Systems business line as of the start of the year, signaling its commitment to the hydrogen economy.

Heraeus Precious Metals is part of the Heraeus Group and covers the value chain from trading to precious metals products to recycling. It has expertise in all platinum group metals as well as gold and silver.

With about 3,000 employees at 15 sites worldwide, the company offers a portfolio of products that are used in the automotive, chemicals, semiconductor, pharmaceutical, hydrogen and jewelry industries.

Heraeus Precious Metals’ Hydrogen Systems business provides a range of precious metal-based products for electrolyzers and fuel cells, in particular electrocatalyst solutions for next-generation applications, according to the company. In addition to precious metals, it will supply an array of technologies and the respective production capacities for the recovery of precious metals from production scrap and end-of-life materials, such as catalyst-coated membranes.

“Our global R&D and testing as well as production facilities enable us to fulfill our customer needs on a technical and overall business level,” says Philipp Walter, head of the new business line. “We are strong innovators and support our customers’ business end-to-end.”

In collaboration with partners throughout the hydrogen ecosystem, Hydrogen Systems will work to refine the synergy between catalyst and application, according to Heraeus.

“As specialists in precious metals, we are committed to crafting optimal catalyst solutions for electrolysis and fuel cells as well as to the recycling of precious metals,” says Christian Gebauer, head of innovation at Heraeus Hydrogen Systems. “Our outstanding know-how and long expertise have helped us to become a leader in low-iridium catalysts. This is a good example of our capabilities in electrocatalyst development.”

Heraeus Precious Metals says it has expanded its operations through key investments in 2023, such as new production capabilities in Nanjing, China, and upcoming additional recycling capacities in Hanau, Germany.

The Heraeus Group’s business platforms include metals and recycling, health care, semiconductors and electronics as well as industrials. In the 2022 financial year, the group generated revenue of 29.1 billion euros ($30.6 billion) with approximately 17,200 employees in 40 countries.