Two Belgian industrial companies, the chemical group Solvay and the materials technology group Umicore, presented the biggest artificial membrane fuel cell in the world at an Antwerp chemical plant yesterday. The installation, which converts hydrogen into electricity, is like a mini power station and generates enough electricity for 1,370 households. The installation of the pilot device in this chemical plant that is jointly owned by Solvay and the German chemical concern BASF comes as no coincidence, as hydrogen is one of its by-products. The large fuel cell, built at a cost of 5 million euros, currently processes some of the unused hydrogen into electricity at the chemical installation. The Solvay-Umicore joint venture Solvicore covered some of the costs with subsidies. The two groups view this project as a trial project and hope to position themselves among the world top as a key European player in the development and production of high-performance fuel cells within the next few years, says Leopold Demiddeleer, who leads future-based activities at Solvay. The current leader in the field of fuel cells is Japan, where the government and carmakers Toyota and Honda invest heavily in fuel cell technology. One of the biggest advantages of the hydrogen-powered cells is that they only produce electricity and water, making it possible for cars, buses, ships, forklift trucks and CHP plants to be rendered free of or low in CO2, which is enormously beneficial to the environment.

Meanwhile Solvay has set its sights on playing a key role as European producer of fuel cells for the car industry. Demiddelaar does stress, however, that this is a long-term dream. But he does look forward to their fuel cell being ready for use in so-called static applications within the next two years. The Dutch concern Nedstack, responsible for the assembly of fuel cells, believes telecommunications equipment in isolated locations which are not connected to the grid will benefit from this innovation.