Low to near-zero CO2 production of hydrogen from fossil fuels: Status and perspectives

doi:10.1016/j.ijhydene.2017.04.101

International Journal of Hydrogen Energy

Volume 42, Issue 20, 18 May 2017, Pages 14058-14088

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhydene.2017.04.101 Get rights and content

Highlights

•
Currently, close to 98% of industrial production of hydrogen relies on fossil fuels.
•
Globally, hydrogen plants emit close to half billion tons of CO₂.
•
Three options for drastically reducing CO₂ emissions from hydrogen production are analyzed.
•
The status and perspectives of low to near-zero CO₂ hydrogen manufacturing are examined.

Abstract

At present, practically all industrial production of hydrogen either directly or indirectly (e.g., through electricity generation) relies on fossil fuels (mostly, natural gas and coal) and, according to many projections, this trend will continue in the foreseeable future. As a result, hydrogen plants are and will remain a major source of CO₂ emissions to the atmosphere, with potentially adverse consequences to our planet's ecosphere and climate. In view of these negative trends, there is an urgent need to substantially reduce or even completely eliminate CO₂ emissions from fossil fuel-based hydrogen production processes in order to underscore environmental advantages of hydrogen as an ecologically clean fuel. The main technological approaches to low to near-zero CO₂ production of hydrogen from fossil fuels can be classified into three main groups: (1) coupling hydrogen plants with CO₂ capture and storage systems, (2) dissociation of hydrocarbons to hydrogen and carbon, and (3) integrating hydrogen production processes with non-carbon energy sources such as nuclear and solar energy. The objective of this paper is to overview and analyze the current status of existing and emerging technological options and solutions to drastically reducing the amount of CO₂ emissions from fossil fuel-based hydrogen manufacturing plants. A near-to-mid term outlook for low to near-zero CO₂ hydrogen production from fossil fuels in the light of new technological trends is examined in this paper.

Section snippets

Hydrogen production plants as a major source of CO₂ emissions

Currently, practically all industrial manufacturing of hydrogen (globally, about 60 million metric tons per year [1]) is based on fossil fuels (mainly, natural gas and coal) either directly (i.e., using them as a feedstock and process fuel) or indirectly (i.e., through the use of fossil fuel-generated electricity). The main industrial sources of merchant hydrogen are as follows:

•
Steam methane reforming (SMR) (globally, about half of all H₂ produced)
•
Partial oxidation and autothermal reforming
•

Fossil fuel-based hydrogen production with carbon capture and storage (CCS)

The main objective of CCS is to prevent CO₂ from entering the atmosphere by capturing and permanently storing it in suitable carbon sinks or converting it into value-added products. According to many analytical studies, CCS is and will remain a critical component of the portfolio of carbon mitigation options as long as fossil fuels will continue dominating the global economy. Fossil fuel-based production of hydrogen coupled with CCS is considered the most promising near-term option for reducing

Non-oxidative processing of hydrocarbons

The formation of carbon oxides (CO_x) during the oxidative transformation of hydrocarbons to H₂ (e.g., steam reforming, partial oxidation, gasification processes) can be attributed to the fact that oxygen has a higher affinity toward carbon compared to hydrogen. Thus, in order to avoid CO_x formation, no oxidant (H₂O, O₂) should be present in the system. Several approaches to non-oxidative processing of hydrocarbons to hydrogen and value-added byproducts are discussed in this section.

Use of nuclear energy for fossil fuel-based hydrogen production

Due to high endothermicity of fossil fuel-based reforming and gasification processes, significant part of CO₂ emissions at hydrogen plants originate from the combustion of fuels that provide a heat input to the technological processes. Therefore, the use of non-carbon energy sources for providing an energy input to the endothermic H₂ production processes shows a promise of substantially reducing CO₂ emissions and the conservation of valuable fossil fuel resources. From this viewpoint,

Solar-powered hydrogen production from fossil fuels

Solar energy is another carbon-free resource that could potentially provide an energy input to fossil fuel-based hydrogen production processes such as SMR, CO₂-methane reforming (also known as “dry reforming”), methane decomposition, light hydrocarbon cracking, coal gasification, etc. In particular, commercially available solar concentrating systems can efficiently provide heat input to the endothermic H₂ production processes in a wide range of temperatures (from 500 to about 2000 °C) depending

Summary: status and future trends in carbon-free hydrogen production

Currently, practically all industrial production of hydrogen is based (directly or indirectly) on fossil fuels, primarily, NG and coal. However, even the “cleanest” of the H₂ manufacturing processes – SMR produces close to 10 kg CO₂ per kg H₂ product. Three main approaches to drastically reducing CO₂ emissions from fossil fuels-based hydrogen production processes are: (i) the integration of hydrogen plants with CCS, (ii) production of CO₂-free hydrogen via non-oxidative conversion of

Acknowledgements

The author acknowledges the support provided by the Florida Solar Energy Center, University of Central Florida. The author thanks Prof. Nejat Veziroglu and Dr. Ali T-Raissi for fruitful discussions.

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Review ArticleLow to near-zero CO2 production of hydrogen from fossil fuels: Status and perspectives

Highlights

Abstract

Section snippets

Hydrogen production plants as a major source of CO2 emissions

Fossil fuel-based hydrogen production with carbon capture and storage (CCS)

Non-oxidative processing of hydrocarbons

Use of nuclear energy for fossil fuel-based hydrogen production

Solar-powered hydrogen production from fossil fuels

Summary: status and future trends in carbon-free hydrogen production

Acknowledgements

Int J Hydrogen Energy

Int J Hydrogen Energy

J Environ Sci

J Membr Sci

Int J Hydrogen Energy

Int J Hydrogen Energy

Int J Hydrogen Energy

Int J Hydrogen Energy

Int J Hydrogen Energy

J Catal

Carbon

Appl Catal A

J Power Sources

Appl Catal A General

J Catal

J Catal

Catal Today

Catal Today

Catal Commun

Catal Today

Int J Hydrogen Energy

J Anal Appl Pyrolysis

Int J Hydrogen Energy

Int J Hydrogen Energy

Int J Hydrogen Energy

Appl Catal General

Appl Catal A General

Int J Hydrogen Energy

Int J Hydrogen Energy

Int J Hydrogen Energy

Int J Hydrogen Energy

Int J Hydrogen Energy

Hydrogen production and distribution: IEA energy technology essentials

Evaluating a new approach to CO2 capture and storage

Carbon Capture J

The Hydrogen Economy. Opportunities, costs, barriers and R&D needs

Roadmap for the hydrogen economy US Department of Energy, Workshop on manufacturing R&D for the hydrogen economy

Life cycle assessment of hydrogen production via natural gas steam reforming

CO2 emissions from fuel combustion

Status of carbon capture and storage update

Carbon Capture J

Reversible CO2 capture with porous polymers using the humidity swing

Energy Environ Sci

Amine scrubbing for CO2 capture

Science

Ionic liquids for CO2 capture and emission reduction

J Phys Chem Lett

Aqua ammonia process for simultaneous removal of CO2, SO2 and NOx

Int J Environ Technol Manag

New solvents based on aminoacid salts for CO2 capture from flue gases'

Strategic analysis of the global status of carbon capture and storage

Carbon sequestration. Technology roadmap and program plan

Metal-organic frameworks with exceptionally high capacity for storage of carbon dioxide at room temperature

J Am Chem Soc

Review Article
Low to near-zero CO₂ production of hydrogen from fossil fuels: Status and perspectives

Hydrogen production plants as a major source of CO₂ emissions

Evaluating a new approach to CO₂ capture and storage

CO₂ emissions from fuel combustion

Reversible CO₂ capture with porous polymers using the humidity swing

Amine scrubbing for CO₂ capture

Ionic liquids for CO₂ capture and emission reduction

Aqua ammonia process for simultaneous removal of CO₂, SO₂ and NO_x