French hydrogen producer Lhyfe has inaugurated what it says is Germany’s largest commercial green hydrogen facility, located in Schwäbisch Gmünd, Baden-Württemberg.  

The plant, built on a one-hectare site, has an installed capacity of 10 MW and is capable of producing up to 4 t/d of green hydrogen.

The facility will supply hydrogen produced through electrolysis powered by renewable energy to decarbonise heavy-duty transport and industrial processes across the region. According to Lhyfe, daily output from the plant could fuel around 100 trucks for journeys of up to 400 km each, without emitting any CO₂.

To secure its renewable power supply, Lhyfe has signed long-term power purchase agreements with several producers in Germany, including EDPR.

The site uses a modular, containerised system to reduce its footprint. Each stackable module integrates all stages of hydrogen production and distribution – from water treatment and electrolysis to purification, compression and filling.  

At the site, eight bays have been constructed for trucks to exchange empty and full tube trailers, enabling delivery of hydrogen to local customers and refuelling stations.

Lhyfe has already agreed to supply hydrogen to H₂ Mobility, Germany’s leading hydrogen refuelling network operator, as part of efforts to expand regional hydrogen infrastructure. The site is also expected to serve a future distribution hub in Schwäbisch Gmünd and to support the planned hydrogen-powered ‘H2-Aspen industrial zone’.

The project has received €2.1mn from the state of Baden-Württemberg and €4.3mn from the European Regional Development Fund.

In September 2025, the site obtained RFNBO (renewable fuel of non-biological origin) certification – the EU’s highest sustainability standard for hydrogen production under the Renewable Energy Directive. The certification confirms that hydrogen produced at the site is 100% renewable and fully traceable, enabling customers to qualify for national and European incentive schemes.

Purine-modified platinum electrodes could cut hydrogen costs

Researchers in Japan have developed a new way to lower the cost of hydrogen production by enhancing the performance of platinum electrodes used in water electrolysis. The research, first published in the International Journal of Hydrogen Energy in September 2025, found that modifying platinum cathodes with naturally occurring purine bases can boost hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) activity up to four times, reducing the amount of costly platinum required.

Hydrogen production from water – by splitting it into hydrogen and oxygen using an electric current – remains limited by high costs, with electrolysers priced at $2,000–2,600/kW in 2024.

The study, led by Dr Syunnosuke Tanaka and Professor Masashi Nakamura from the Graduate School of Engineering at Chiba University, shows that adding purine bases – organic molecules found in DNA and RNA – to platinum electrodes can significantly increase HER efficiency.

‘Platinum has limited resources, which is an issue for the widespread use of water electrolysis and fuel cell catalysts,’ notes Nakamura. ‘The significant reduction of platinum loading in electrochemical devices will be an important step toward the practical application of catalysts for water electrolysis.’

Experiments using single-crystal platinum electrodes modified with caffeine, xanthine, purine, theophylline and theobromine showed that purine and theophylline achieved the greatest enhancement – increasing HER activity by 4.2 and five times respectively. Molecules with methyl groups, such as caffeine and theobromine, improved performance at moderate coverage but blocked active sites at higher levels, while purine and xanthine, which lack methyl groups, steadily increased activity.

X-ray diffraction and density functional theory calculations revealed that purine molecules form hydrogen bonds with surrounding water, creating a cage-like structure that facilitates the removal of hydroxide ions and lowers the reaction’s energy barrier. When applied to commercial platinum/carbon catalysts, the purine modification achieved 3.2 times higher HER activity in alkaline solution than unmodified catalysts.

‘Water electrolysis using renewable energy is necessary to achieve carbon neutrality,’ Nakamura adds. ‘The highly active electrode catalyst developed in this study will lead to cost reductions and improved energy conversion efficiency of water electrolysis systems.’ 

Researchers from Japan have enhanced the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) by modifying platinum cathodes with purine bases. The purine molecules form hydrogen-bonded cages with surrounding water, which helps remove hydroxide ions from the surface, lowering the energy barrier and increasing HER activity up to four times.

Dr Syunnosuke Tanaka and Professor Masashi Nakamura/Chiba University, Japan