1. Low carbon hydrogen production in Canada via natural gas pyrolysis.
- Author
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Okeke, Ikenna J., Saville, Bradley A., and MacLean, Heather L.
- Subjects
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NATURAL gas , *GREENHOUSE gases , *PYROLYSIS , *CARBON-black , *PRODUCT life cycle assessment , *NATURAL gas production , *HYDROGEN as fuel , *HYDROGEN production - Abstract
Large scale, low cost, and low carbon intensity hydrogen production is needed to reduce emissions in the energy and transportation sectors. We present a techno-economic analysis and life cycle assessment of natural gas pyrolysis technologies for hydrogen production, with carbon black (CB) as a co-product. Four designs were considered based on the source of heat to the pyrolysis system, the combustion medium, and use of carbon capture (CC) technology. The oxygen-fired-CB design with CC is the most attractive from financial and environmental perspectives, superior to a conventional steam methane reformer (SMR) process with CC. The estimated pre-tax minimum hydrogen selling prices for the pyrolysis technologies range between $1.08/kg and $2.43/kg when natural gas (NG) costs $3.76/GJ. Key advantages include near-zero onsite GHG emissions of the oxygen-fired-CB design with CC and up to 41% lower GHG emissions compared to the SMR + CC process. The results indicate that natural gas pyrolysis may be a feasible pathway for hydrogen production. • Commercial scale hydrogen production via natural gas pyrolysis pathways is explored. • Options for handling the carbon black product are examined. • Low-carbon hydrogen of $1.7/kgH 2 outperforms the SMR hydrogen at similar conditions. • Cradle to gate GHG emissions between 1.8 and 4.6 kgCO 2 eq/kgH 2 is computed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2023
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