Microwave pyrolysis of natural gas for the production of turquoise hydrogen

全世界都在寻求使运输和工业过程脱碳，在需要化学燃料的应用中，氢已被确定为一种能源载体，具有比电力更大的优势。氢气在许多工业过程中起着至关重要的作用，全球每年生产70万吨氢气。目前，氢气主要是通过天然气的蒸汽重整制得的，这导致了二氧化碳的排放。随着需求的急剧增加，迫切需要开发新的低成本和低碳制氢技术。提出了一种替代技术，利用高效的微波能量在无氧和无水的情况下加热甲烷（热解），产生氢和固体碳，而不直接排放二氧化碳。该技术具有高度可扩展性和模块化，设备可以安装在任何有天然气和电力的地方，并且不需要进入H2和CO2管道基础设施。该项目将包括一项广泛的实验规模研究，旨在开发微波热解工艺成功扩大规模和商业化所需的基础知识，并为中试工厂提供关键的设计规范。在反应器、微波系统、辅助机组运行设计等方面进行研究；过程分析和建模，以最大限度地提高氢气产量和能源效率；固体碳作为微波感应体和催化剂的作用并对炭素产品的性能及市场潜力进行了评价。最后，完成技术经济分析（TEA）和生命周期评估（LCA），以确定微波热解制氢的成本和环境影响。预计通过微波技术生产氢气可以减少全球二氧化碳排放量0.5 Bt/年。该技术将在试点测试后实现商业化，并将从加拿大丰富的自然资源中生产出清洁、高价值的产品，从而创造就业机会、投资、税收和版税，以确保未来的经济和社会繁荣。

The world is looking to decarbonize transportation and industrial processes, and hydrogen has been identified as an energy carrier with key benefits over electricity in applications where a chemical fuel is desired. Hydrogen plays a vital role in many industrial processes with 70 Mt/yr of hydrogen produced worldwide. At present, hydrogen is primarily made by the steam reforming of natural gas, which results in CO2 emissions. With demand expected to increase dramatically, there is an urgent need to develop new low-cost and low-carbon technologies for hydrogen production. An alternative technology is proposed that uses efficient microwave energy to heat methane in the absence of oxygen and water (pyrolysis) to generate hydrogen and solid carbon with no direct CO2 emissions. The technology is highly scalable and modular, units can be installed anywhere there is natural gas and electricity, and access to H2 and CO2 pipeline infrastructure is not required. The project will involve an extensive bench-scale study designed to develop fundamental knowledge required for successful scale-up and commercialization of the proposed microwave pyrolysis process, and to provide critical design specifications for a pilot plant. Research will be conducted in the areas of reactor, microwave system, and ancillary unit operation design; process analysis and modelling to maximize hydrogen yield and energy efficiency; the role of solid carbon as microwave susceptor and catalyst; and the properties of the carbon product and evaluation of its market potential. Finally, technoeconomic analysis (TEA) and life-cycle assessment (LCA) will be completed to determine the cost and environmental impact of producing hydrogen by microwave pyrolysis. It is anticipated that the production of hydrogen by the proposed microwave technology could reduce global CO2 emissions by 0.5 Bt/yr. The technology will be commercialized following pilot testing, and will produce a clean and high-value product from Canada's abundant natural resources, resulting in the creation of jobs, investments, tax revenue, and royalties to ensure economic and social prosperity well into the future.