NOBIAN INDUSTRIAL CHEMICALS BV

Their core work

Nobian is a Dutch industrial chemicals company specializing in electrochemistry, chlor-alkali processes, and salt-based chemical production. Within H2020 projects, they contribute expertise in large-scale water electrolysis for green hydrogen production, brine management, and industrial chemical processes tied to the energy transition. Their involvement spans from green hydrogen and methanol production to circular water treatment and sustainable airport operations, reflecting their position as an industrial player adapting core chemical competencies to decarbonization challenges.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

Nobian's early H2020 involvement (2015–2020) centered on fundamental materials science (CREEP) and the initial push into green hydrogen and green chemicals production via large-scale electrolysis (Djewels). From 2020 onward, their focus broadened significantly into sector coupling, circular economy applications, brine and water resource recovery, and sustainable transport fuels. The trajectory shows a clear shift from core chemical production expertise toward applying that expertise across multiple decarbonization and circularity challenges.

Nobian is expanding from pure hydrogen production into cross-sector decarbonization applications — expect future involvement in industrial circularity, sustainable fuels, and water-energy nexus projects.

How they like to work

Nobian consistently joins as a participant or partner rather than leading consortia, which is typical for a large industrial company contributing domain expertise and infrastructure to research-driven projects. With 143 unique partners across 20 countries, they operate in large, multi-stakeholder consortia (HEAVENN and TULIPS are flagship-scale projects). This makes them an accessible and experienced consortium partner who brings industrial-scale validation capabilities without competing for coordination roles.

Nobian has built a broad European network of 143 unique consortium partners across 20 countries, largely through participation in large-scale Innovation Action projects. Their network is concentrated in Northern Europe but extends across the EU through flagship energy and environment projects.

What sets them apart

Nobian occupies a rare niche as a large-scale industrial chemicals company with direct operational experience in electrolysis, brine processing, and salt chemistry — capabilities that are increasingly critical for the hydrogen economy and circular water management. Unlike research institutes or technology startups, they can offer real industrial infrastructure and process know-how for demonstration and scale-up projects. Their combination of electrochemistry expertise with water treatment and chemical production makes them a uniquely versatile industrial partner for energy transition consortia.

Highlights from their portfolio

• HEAVENN
  Flagship hydrogen valley project in Northern Netherlands with EUR 320,000 funding — Nobian's largest H2020 involvement, spanning industry, transport, and heating sectors.
• TULIPS
  Demonstrates Nobian's expanding scope into sustainable aviation, combining green hydrogen, liquid hydrogen, and circular economy for airport decarbonization.
• WATER-MINING
  Showcases Nobian's brine and salt expertise applied to circular water management — a less obvious but strategically important application of their core competencies.