Review ArticleLow to near-zero CO2 production of hydrogen from fossil fuels: Status and perspectives
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 (COx) 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 COx 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.
References (155)
- et al.
Influence of the power supply on the energy efficiency of an alkaline water electrolyser
Int J Hydrogen Energy
(2009) - et al.
From methane to hydrogen, carbon black and water
Int J Hydrogen Energy
(1995) - et al.
Sorbents with high efficiency for CO2 capture based on amines-supported carbon for biogas upgrading
J Environ Sci
(2016) - et al.
Membrane technologies for CO2 separation
J Membr Sci
(2010) - et al.(2009)
- et al.
Co-production of hydrogen, electricity and CO2 from coal with commercially ready technology
Int J Hydrogen Energy
(2005) How to produce hydrogen from fossil fuels without CO2 emissions
Int J Hydrogen Energy
(1993)Production of hydrogen and methanol from natural gas with reduced CO2 emission
Int J Hydrogen Energy
(1998)Fossil fuel decarbonization technology for mitigating global warming
Int J Hydrogen Energy
(1999)- et al.
Comparative analysis of different natural gas pyrolysis methods
Int J Hydrogen Energy
(1999)
Carbon formation from light hydrocarbons on nickel
J Catal
Carbon formation from methane pyrolysis over some transition metal surface. II. Manner of carbon and graphite formation
Carbon
Hydrogen production via the direct cracking of methane over Ni/SiO2: catalyst deactivation and regeneration
Appl Catal A
COx free H2 production via catalytic decomposition of CH4 over Ni supported on zeolite catalysts
J Power Sources
Carbon capacious Ni-Cu-Al2O3 catalysts for high-temperature methane decomposition
Appl Catal A General
Hydrogen production via catalytic decomposition of methane
J Catal
Methane decomposition into hydrogen and carbon nanofibers over supported Pd-Ni catalysts
J Catal
Methane decomposition to carbon nanotubes and hydrogen on an alumina supported nickel aerogel catalyst
Catal Today
Ni/SiO2 and Fe/SiO2 catalysts for production of hydrogen and filamentous carbon via methane decomposition
Catal Today
Catalysis of methane decomposition over elemental carbon
Catal Commun
Catalytic activity of carbon for methane decomposition reaction
Catal Today
Hydrogen production by catalytic decomposition of methane over activated carbons: kinetic study
Int J Hydrogen Energy
Catalytic decomposition of methane over activated carbon
J Anal Appl Pyrolysis
Thermocatalytic decomposition of methane over activated carbons: influence of textural properties and surface chemistry
Int J Hydrogen Energy
H2 production from methane pyrolysis over commercial carbon catalysts: kinetic and deactivation study
Int J Hydrogen Energy
Production of hydrogen by thermal decomposition of methane in a fluidized bed reactor- effect of catalyst, temperature and residence time
Int J Hydrogen Energy
Thermocatalytic decomposition of natural gas over plasma-generated carbon aerosols for sustainable production of hydrogen and carbon
Appl Catal General
Catalytic decomposition of methane over a wood char concurrently activated by a pyrolysis gas
Appl Catal A General
Fossil hydrogen production with reduced CO2 emission: modeling thermocatalytic decomposition of methane in a fluidized bed of carbon particles
Int J Hydrogen Energy
Hydrogen production by methane decomposition: a review
Int J Hydrogen Energy
“Green” path from fossil-based to hydrogen economy: an overview of carbon-neutral technologies
Int J Hydrogen Energy
From hydrocarbon to hydrogen-carbon to hydrogen economy
Int J Hydrogen Energy
Extraction of hydrogen from fossil fuels with production of solid carbon materials
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
Cited by (248)
The critical role of intrinsic catalytic properties for enhanced dry reforming of methane (DRM): Recent advances, challenges and techno-feasibility assessments
2024, Journal of Industrial and Engineering ChemistryPotential industrial applications of photo/electrocatalysis: Recent progress and future challenges
2024, Green Energy and EnvironmentTrace rare earth modulated tetranickel nitride embedded in mesoporous carbon as electrocatalysts for the oxygen evolution reaction
2024, International Journal of Hydrogen EnergyA systematic review: The role of emerging carbon capture and conversion technologies for energy transition to clean hydrogen
2024, Journal of Cleaner Production