Natural Gas to Hydrogen and Other Products at Low to Zero Emissions
Date
2025-01-09
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Abstract
In light of pressing environmental challenges, such as global warming driven by greenhouse gas emissions, hydrogen has emerged as a vital component in maximizing renewable energy use and facilitating the transition to a sustainable future. Currently, the majority of hydrogen production relies heavily on fossil fuels, particularly natural gas. While significant advancements have been made in alternative hydrogen generation technologies, steam methane reforming (SMR) remains the most established and widely implemented method. However, its high energy demands and CO2 emissions have prompted research into low-temperature hydrogen production technologies. This study focuses on low-temperature steam reforming (LTSR) and dry reforming (DRM) processes, operating between 500 and 600 °C, utilizing innovative Ni-Ce formulation catalysts (CAT-1 and CAT-2). Catalyst CAT-1 demonstrated exceptional performance in the LTSR of a natural gas model, achieving complete conversion of ethane and propane while maintaining near-equilibrium levels of methane under various operational conditions. This approach eliminated the need for water-gas shift and pre-reforming stages, simplifying system complexity and reducing construction costs. While the catalyst showed remarkable efficacy in hydrogen production, challenges related to sulfur compound deactivation were noted, leading to the recommendation of a guard reactor. Furthermore, catalyst CAT-2 exhibited outstanding stability during DRM, achieving near-equilibrium conversion rates and effectively suppressing carbon deposition through elevated CO2/CH4 ratios. Long-term tests confirmed no signs of catalyst degradation, enabling direct feeding of natural gas into the dry reforming reactor and thereby minimizing pre-treatment requirements and capital expenditures. Ultimately, the integration of LTSR and DRM processes represents a promising solution for significantly reducing carbon emissions while producing hydrogen and syngas more efficiently than conventional methods, with estimated CAPEX savings of approximately 36% for standalone LTSR units compared to traditional steam methane reforming units.
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Keywords
greenhouse gas emissions, Hydrogen production, Renewable energy, Sustainable future, Natural gas
Citation
Ferrer, F. (2025). Natural gas to hydrogen and other products at low to zero emissions (Master's thesis, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada). Retrieved from https://prism.ucalgary.ca.