Exolum has invested over 20 million euros in R&D over the last three years
The development of biofuels and green hydrogen, the digitalisation of operations and the development of new services are the company’s main objectives in innovation
Exolum has invested over 20 million euros in Research, Development and Innovation (RDI) projects over the last three years aimed at improving the efficiency of its operations, promoting digitalisation and developing new business areas.
In this regard, Exolum continues to progress in the digitalisation of operations, and its main initiatives focus on generating new efficiencies by using different methodologies and exploiting
synergies across business areas and advanced technologies, such as AI, process automation, machine learning, deep learning and blockchain, among others.
In order to boost biofuel consumption, Exolum has developed the Avikorservice aimed at promoting the use of sustainable biofuels in aviation. The service allows individuals and companies, regardless of the airline, to fly more efficiently by reducing CO2 emissions by up to 80%. This service is currently available at Adolfo Suárez Madrid-Barajas and Josep Barcelona-El Prat airports.
The company is also firmly committed to the development of green hydrogen as a sustainable alternative to traditional fuel. Thus, Exolum is developing the Green Hydrogenares project, which consists of the construction of the first green hydrogen production plant in the Madrid region on a plot adjacent to its facilities in San Fernando de Henares in Torrejón de Ardoz. One of the main highlights of the project is that it will produce green hydrogen through solar energy.
This will help to improve the uptake of this fuel to promote sustainable mobility and the energy transition, and it represents an investment of nearly 2 million euros. The plant is planned to be
operational by the end of 2022 and the initial objective is to generate around 60 tonnes of green hydrogen per year.
Also regarding green hydrogen, Exolum has formed an alliance with the Naturgy company to promote green hydrogen in the mobility sector. Called Win4H2, it is the first major hydrogen alliance for mobility corridors in Spain and will develop a network of 50 hydrogen stations distributed across the country.
The company also participates in a consortium in several projects that are funded by the 2021 Missions programme of the CDTI, a public corporation attached to the Ministry of Science and
Innovation, which promotes innovation and technological development in Spanish companies. Two of these projects are Regenera and GreenH2pipes, which have a planned duration of three years, with Exolum leading the lines of action on liquid organic hydrogen carriers (LOHC).
The GreenH2pipes project is being developed together with a consortium of eight companies in the industry and six research centres. It aims to promote the generation, injection and transportation of hydrogen through existing infrastructure.
For its part, the purpose of the Regenera project, which is being developed by a consortium of eight companies, is the efficient storage of renewable energy surplus and its use in industrial processes for the production of green fuel, hydrogen, methane and hythane which can then be used for heat and power generation, as precursors of other chemicals and/or in transportation to promote sustainable mobility.
Furthermore, the company has developed a more sophisticated way of managing biofuels in its logistics system by designing adaptations and developments that will enable it to meet the new requirements of environmental directives and, therefore, increase the range of services provided to customers.
The company has made innovation its main driver for facing future challenges. In this regard, it is currently in the midst of an ambitious diversification process which focuses on the development of new sustainable energy sources so that it can continue to play a prominent role in the future of the energy industry