AIR PRODUCTS PLC

Their core work

Air Products PLC is the UK subsidiary of Air Products and Chemicals, one of the world's largest industrial gas companies, supplying hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, and specialty gases to energy, manufacturing, chemicals, and transportation sectors. In H2020, they contributed as an industrial infrastructure partner in two energy projects: hydrogen refueling depot systems for bus fleets, and a large-scale CO2 capture demonstration at a steel plant in Dunkirk using the DMX solvent process. Their core value to research consortia is operational credibility — they own and operate commercial-scale gas handling, compression, storage, and distribution assets that most research partners cannot replicate. This makes them a bridge between laboratory-scale research and real industrial deployment.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

In the first half of their H2020 participation (2015–2017), Air Products was focused on hydrogen mobility — specifically supplying and managing hydrogen refueling for bus depot fleets, a direct extension of their commercial hydrogen distribution business. By 2019–2024, their emphasis shifted decisively toward industrial decarbonization: CO2 capture from steel production, CCS hub development, and CO2 transport and storage in the North Sea. This trajectory mirrors the broader energy industry pivot from green mobility toward hard-to-abate industrial sectors, and suggests Air Products is investing in large-scale CCS as a core future business line.

Air Products is moving toward large-scale industrial CCS infrastructure — connecting CO2 sources in heavy industry to offshore storage — which positions them as a key infrastructure partner for European decarbonization projects in steel, chemicals, and cement.

How they like to work

Air Products consistently enters projects as a participant or third party rather than as coordinator, acting as an industrial infrastructure enabler rather than a research lead. Their involvement in consortia of this size — 48 unique partners across 12 countries from just two projects — indicates they join large, high-stakes industrial demonstration projects where their commercial assets give the consortium credibility with funders and industry observers. They are likely approached for their operational infrastructure and supply chain reach, not for academic research output.

With 48 unique partners across 12 countries from only two projects, Air Products operates in large, internationally diverse consortia typical of major industrial demonstration efforts. Their network is pan-European, with a geographic pull toward Northern Europe given the North Sea and Dunkirk CCS hub context.

What sets them apart

As the UK arm of a global industrial gas giant, Air Products brings something rare in H2020 consortia: real commercial infrastructure at scale — hydrogen pipelines, compression stations, storage facilities, and distribution networks that are already operating. Their dual footprint across hydrogen mobility and industrial CCS makes them unusually valuable for projects that must demonstrate feasibility at industrial scale, not just in controlled lab settings. A consortium with Air Products can credibly claim industrial deployment readiness, which strengthens both grant applications and downstream commercialization prospects.

Highlights from their portfolio

• NewBusFuel
  One of the first coordinated European efforts to standardize hydrogen refueling protocols for public bus fleets, with Air Products contributing direct infrastructure and commercial hydrogen supply expertise.
• 3D
  A flagship European CCS demonstration project applying the DMX solvent process to real blast furnace gas at the ArcelorMittal Dunkirk site, with CO2 transport and North Sea storage — one of the largest industrial decarbonization pilots in H2020.