SBIR Phase I: Methane Pyrolysis for High Quality Carbon Black and Low-carbon Hydrogen Production

这个小型企业创新研究（SBIR）第一阶段项目的更广泛的影响/商业潜力是提供低成本的氢气（H2），其二氧化碳（CO2）足迹非常低甚至为负，商业生产成本达到每公斤H2 1.50美元，以及有价值的固体碳副产品，代表了美国公众和经济的技术进步。美国每年生产1000万吨氢气，其中95%通过蒸汽甲烷重整（SMR）。 SMR在此过程中排放了1亿吨二氧化碳。这意味着仅在美国就有100亿美元的市场，也是减少二氧化碳排放的重要机会。甲烷热解通过产生固体碳而不是气态二氧化碳，有望以比水电解少5倍的能量获得绿色氢气，其成本与蒸汽甲烷重整具有竞争力。固体碳，如果生产正确，可以用于轮胎，电池和混凝土。该项目的研究可以增加甲烷热解中与清洁氢气一起产生的固体碳副产品的价值。如果成功，该技术可以扩大国内生产能力，实现化肥、运输（电池、燃料电池、合成燃料和轮胎）和重工业（钢铁和水泥）等行业的净零排放。SBIR第一阶段项目提出开发一种新方法，调整使用甲烷热解生产高质量固体碳。炭黑在热解反应器中在气相中均匀形成，并且在催化剂、反应器壁和气体中夹带的种子颗粒上非均相形成。通过调整温度、停留时间、流动剖面和种子材料，该项目将导致对甲烷热解反应器中碳沉淀和形成的更好理解。这一改进的理解和反应堆热化学模型的发展将最终导致更好地控制生产可用于轮胎、电池和混凝土的高质量固体碳的过程。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

The broader impact/commercial potential of this Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project is to provide low-cost hydrogen (H2) with a very low or even negative carbon dioxide (CO2) footprint at a commercial production cost reaching $1.50 per kg of H2 alongside a valuable solid carbon by-product, representing a technology advance for the American public and economy. The United States produces 10 million metric tons of hydrogen per year - 95% of it via steam methane reforming (SMR). SMR emits 100 million tons of CO2 in the process. This represents a $10 billion market in the US alone and an important opportunity to reduce CO2 emissions. Methane pyrolysis promises green hydrogen with 5 times less energy than water electrolysis at costs competitive with steam methane reforming by producing solid carbon instead of gaseous carbon dioxide. The solid carbon, if produced correctly, can be used in tires, batteries, and concrete. The research in this project could increase the value of the solid carbon by-product produced alongside clean hydrogen in methane pyrolysis. If successful, this technology could lead to expanded domestic production capabilities with net-zero emissions from sectors such as fertilizer, transportation (batteries, fuel cells, synthetic fuels, and tires), and heavy industry (steel and cement).This SBIR Phase I project proposes to develop a novel method to tune the production of high-quality solid carbon using methane pyrolysis. Carbon black forms in pyrolysis reactors both homogeneously in the gas phase and heterogeneously on catalysts, reactor walls, and on seed particles entrained in the gas. By tuning temperature, residence time, flow profile, and seed materials, this project will result in an improved understanding of carbon precipitation and formation in methane pyrolysis reactors. This improved understanding and the development of a reactor thermochemical model will ultimately lead to better control of a process to produce high quality solid carbon that can be used in tires, batteries, and concrete.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.