The American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE) and the Institution of Chemical Engineers (IChemE) — two professional societies dedicated to advancing the application of chemical engineering expertise internationally — have signed a letter of intent to collaborate on building a global alliance centered on the use of hydrogen. The partnership will bolster their shared interest in supporting industry in the adoption of hydrogen as an energy carrier for industrial and commercial applications that will form a vital part of the road to net-zero greenhouse gas emissions.
As part of the agreement, AIChE and IChemE will collaborate on road-mapping activities and solicit contributions from knowledgeable stakeholders such as manufacturers, academic and research institutions; technology and engineering providers; government entities; transportation experts and end-users of hydrogen.
Billy B. Bardin, AIChE’s 2023 president, and Global Climate Transition director at Dow, and Trish Kerin, director of the IChemE Safety Centre, signed the letter of intent during the 2023 World Hydrogen Summit and Exhibition, currently taking place May 9-11, 2023 in Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
“AIChE is pleased to join with the leaders and constituents of IChemE as we bring together the knowledge and acumen of our global networks of chemical engineers to advance hydrogen applications in support of industrial decarbonization. As part of this work, we look forward to building new and mutually beneficial collaborations with participants in the larger hydrogen and chemical engineering communities,” said Bardin at the signing.
“Hydrogen has a vital role to play in the world’s efforts to deal with climate change and chemical engineers will be central to ensuring it is produced as efficiently, sustainably and safely as possible. Collaborating with others allows us to achieve more, and I’m extremely pleased that IChemE and AIChE have agreed to work on this issue together,” added David Bogle, IChemE’s president for 2022-2023.
IChemE has long called for hydrogen not to be considered in isolation, but through a systems approach — from generation to storage, transport and use of byproducts.
According to a joint press release from the two organizations, hydrogen represents a promising, clean energy carrier for industry and transportation in the global transition toward net-zero greenhouse gas emissions. Its adoption will require contributions from engineers and scientists across disciplines, as well as from government agencies, to create cost-efficient, safe and sustainable means of hydrogen production, distribution, storage and use, and to help industry and consumers transition safely and smoothly to a future where hydrogen is a commonly-used resource.
