Steam Methane Reforming Research Articles

Facilely Synthesized CeNi1-xCoxO3 Perovskite Catalyst for Combined Steam and CO2 Reforming of Methane

Facilely Synthesized CeNi1-xCoxO3 Perovskite Catalyst for Combined Steam and CO2 Reforming of Methane

Breakthroughs in Low-Cost Hydrogen Production Methods for Fuel Cells

Traditional hydrogen production, like steam methane reforming (SMR), is limited by high greenhouse gas emissions and fossil fuel dependency. However, integrating renewable energy with innovative production technologies offers a more sustainable and cost-effective pathway. Electrolysis, powered by renewable sources such as wind and solar, is a promising method that has seen efficiency improvements through advancements in proton exchange membrane (PEM) and anion exchange membrane (AEM) technologies. Additionally, research into thermochemical water splitting, which utilizes high-temperature heat from solar or nuclear energy, presents a scalable alternative for industrial hydrogen production. Biological hydrogen production using microorganisms, such as algae and bacteria, offers further innovation by leveraging natural processes for hydrogen generation. The integration of renewable energy into hydrogen production not only lowers costs but also provides an effective means of energy storage, contributing to grid stability and reducing reliance on fossil fuels. This paper explores recent breakthroughs in low-cost hydrogen production methods, essential for advancing the hydrogen economy and promoting fuel cells as a clean energy solution.

Current hydrogen production methods and their economic and environmental analysis

As global temperatures continue to rise due to the extensive use of fossil energy sources, concerns about the environment continue to deepen. Accelerating the energy transition is a major trend, and countries are continuously increasing the proportion of clean energy in the energy supply. Hydrogen energy is one of the most promising clean energy sources and a hot research topic in various countries. Hydrogen production is a key step in the use of hydrogen energy, this paper focuses on the current mainstream hydrogen production methods including electrolysis of water, solar decomposition of water, biomass hydrogen production, nuclear technology, steam methane reforming, coal gasification, methane pyrolysis, etc. And the economic and environmental benefits of each method. According to studies, the mainstream method of producing hydrogen today involves burning fossil fuels, and more recent methods—like the electrolysis of water—need a lot more testing and development before they can be used extensively. The implementation of CCS or CCUS technology can considerably lower the carbon emissions of the hydrogen production process when it comes to hydrogen produced from fossil fuels, but doing so will result in higher energy costs and hydrogen production costs. This paper is expected to support future research directions and help governmental decision-making in the energy transition.

Techno-Economic Assessment of Hydrogen Production in Ghana through PV Electrolysis and Biomass Gasification

Abstract The potential to develop a green hydrogen market in Ghana is assessed in this paper. The focus is on biomass gasification and photovoltaic-driven water electrolysis. Using the H2A-Lite model, the technical, economic, and environmental aspects of these technologies are assessed for both current (2023) and future (2040) scenarios. In the current scenario, distributed and centralized Polymer Electrolyte Membrane (PEM) electrolysis gave levelized costs of $5.56/kg and $4.35/kg for hydrogen respectively, while centralized biomass gasification yields the cheapest hydrogen cost at $2.68/kg. The high cost of solar PEM electrolysis is linked to expensive electricity and solar PV, but also to compression, storage, and dispensing costs for distributed systems. By year 2040, a general cost reduction is expected due to cheaper renewable energy and increased efficiency. However, these production methods still face competition from more economical conventional steam methane reforming (SMR) processes having a levelized cost of less than $2/kg H2. The study concludes that a hydrogen development strategy and roadmap for Ghana will be crucial to proceed with hydrogen, setting deployment targets, and engaging stakeholders in promoting the use of hydrogen as an energy carrier while creating new economic opportunities and achieving climate objectives.

Membrane reformer technology for sustainable hydrogen production from hydrocarbon feedstocks

Hydrogen (H2) is receiving growing interest as a clean energy carrier as the world’s energy system transitions towards net zero. Today, H2 is primarily produced from hydrocarbons using the steam methane reforming (SMR) process. This well-established method converts methane-rich gas into syngas, which is further treated with steam to increase H2 yield via the water-gas-shift (WGS) process. However, this conventional route results in high carbon intensity of 10 tons CO2/ton of H2. Therefore, there is a growing need for sustainable H2 production technologies that utilize existing fossil energy sources and infrastructure while minimizing carbon emissions and costs.Membrane reactors (MR) are a promising technology for sustainable H2 production from hydrocarbons. A H2-selective palladium-alloy (Pd–Au) membrane is integrated within the catalyst bed, creating a system where H2 production and separation occur simultaneously in a single unit. This integration offers several advantages over the conventional system; process intensification allows thermodynamic equilibrium conversion limitations to be overcome while producing high purity (>99%) H2 at milder operating temperatures of ∼550 °C compared to 800–1000 °C in conventional packed bed reactors. Downstream processes such as WGS reactors and pressure swing adsorption are eliminated, resulting in reduced capital and operating costs. Moreover, the by-product stream remains pressurized at 25–40 bar and contains CO2 at concentrations above 60%, enabling CO2 capture at reduced cost.

Efficient integration of calcium looping with methane Bi-reforming using Pd-enhanced Ni-CaO dual functional nanomaterials

Integration technology of methane bi-reforming (BRM; a combination of methane steam and dry reforming) with calcium looping (CaL-BRM) offered a novel solution to reduce CO2 emission, enabling direct capture and conversion of low-concentration CO2 from sources into value-added products (H2, syngas) within the same reactor. In this study, Ni-CaO-based dual-functional material (DFM), with a small quantity of palladium in the nanostructure, was developed via a continuous two-stage aerosol process and employed in the CaL-BRM. Experimental results demonstrate that Pd-Ni-CaO exhibited high activity and cyclic stability over multiple cycles, maintaining effective CO2 capture (12.0 mmolCO2/gCaO) and BRM performance (>98 % CO2 conversion; H2/CO = 2) at a relatively low temperature (600 °C). Density functional theory calculations reveal that the presence of Pd lowered the activation energy of CH* dissociation, the rate-determining step, from 1.14 to 0.67 eV. The higher adsorption energy (−0.87 eV) of H2O on the Ni-Pd surface and the lower energy barrier (0.62 eV) for subsequent dissociation contributed to the promising catalytic performance in the presence of steam. These findings underscore the significance of utilizing appropriate DFM and demonstrate the potential of CaL-BRM for efficient integrated carbon capture and utilization.

Assessment of a coupled electricity and hydrogen sector in the Texas energy system in 2050

Due to its ability to reduce emissions in the hard-to-abate sectors, hydrogen is expected to play a significant role in future energy systems. This study modifies a sector-coupled dynamic modeling framework for electricity and hydrogen by including policy constraints, carbon prices, and possible hydrogen pathways and applies it to Texas in 2050. The impact of financial policies, including the US clean hydrogen production tax credit, on required infrastructure and costs are explored. Due to low natural gas prices, financial levers are necessary to promote low-carbon hydrogen production as the optimized solution. The Levelized Costs of Hydrogen are found to be $1.50/kg in the base case (primarily via steam methane reformation production) and lie between $2.10 - 3.10/kg when production is via renewable electrolysis. The supporting infrastructure required to supply those volumes of renewable hydrogen is immense. The hydrogen tax credit was found to be enough to drive production via electrolysis.

Exergy Analysis of Hydrogen-Rich Syngas Production System Utilizing Palm Oil Empty Fruit Bunch using Pyrolysis Connected with Steam Methane Reformer

Fossil fuel consumption on a large scale continues to increase yearly, causing a shortage of energy sources. Hydrogen can help to overcome the shortage of energy sources. It can be produced from renewable energy sources, such as oil palm Empty Fruit Bunch (EFB) as biomass using pyrolysis processes equipped with steam methane reformer and water gas shift reactions. This research was conducted to determine the amount of hydrogen that can be produced and to analyze the exergy of the existing systems in the hydrogen production process. Aspen Plus has been used to design and analyze pyrolysis processes, steam methane reform, and water gas shift reactions. The results showed that when 6.54 kg Empty Fruit Bunch was used as raw material in a pyrolysis reactor, hydrogen could be produced in the amounts of 0.435 kg. The exergy values of raw materials and fuels are relatively high because the chemical exergy values of the compounds contained therein are also high. Based on the calculations, it is found that the combustion process is the process that experiences the most significant exergy destruction. The exergy efficiency of this hydrogen production process system is 22.77%.

Assessment of the polygeneration approach in wastewater treatment plants for enhanced energy efficiency and green hydrogen/ammonia production

Wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) offer opportunities to optimize resource utilization and enhance energy efficiency. This study provides a comprehensive analysis of using the polygeneration approach in WWTPs to reduce grid energy dependence, optimize energy distribution, and utilize surplus energy for hydrogen (H2) and ammonia (NH3) production. Several models were employed, including photovoltaic (PV) cells, parabolic trough collectors (PTCs), steam methane reforming, and polymer electrolyte membranes, to assess the feasibility of this approach. Three scenarios were evaluated and compared: Scenario 1 (Baseline) represents the current situation, Scenario 2 maximizes the Net Present Value (NPV), and Scenario 3 minimizes NH3 production costs. Real data from As-Samra WWTP in Jordan was used to accurately assess the feasibility of each scenario. The results show that Scenario 2 offers the highest profitability and efficiency, with a NPV of 87.48 million USD and an annual NH3 production of 15,417 tons, reducing both grid dependency and biogas fuel consumption. Both Scenarios 2 and 3 demonstrate the ability to meet thermal demands efficiently while generating significant revenue from NH3 production. Scenario 3, in particular, achieves competitive H2 and NH3 production costs. Environmentally, Scenario 2 significantly reduces annual greenhouse gas emissions by 12.66 kilotons of CO2eq, with near-zero carbon intensity for thermal energy due to solar reliance. In conclusion, the polygeneration approach offers a promising pathway for WWTPs to achieve greater sustainability, economic gains, and reduced environmental impact, providing valuable insights for decision-makers.

Comprehensive Review of Carbon Capture and Storage Integration in Hydrogen Production: Opportunities, Challenges, and Future Perspectives

The growing emphasis on renewable energy highlights hydrogen’s potential as a clean energy carrier. However, traditional hydrogen production methods contribute significantly to carbon emissions. This review examines the integration of carbon capture and storage (CCS) technologies with hydrogen production processes, focusing on their ability to mitigate carbon emissions. It evaluates various hydrogen production techniques, including steam methane reforming, electrolysis, and biomass gasification, and discusses how CCS can enhance environmental sustainability. Key challenges, such as economic, technical, and regulatory obstacles, are analyzed. Case studies and future trends offer insights into the feasibility of CCS–hydrogen integration, providing pathways for reducing greenhouse gases and facilitating a clean energy transition.

Thermodynamic evaluation of a Ca-Cu looping post-combustion CO2 capture system integrated with thermochemical recuperation based on steam methane reforming

The calcium looping integrated with the chemical looping combustion (CaL-CLC) process is an efficient and cost-effective CO2 capture technology that avoids the energy-intensive air separation unit in the calcium looping (CaL) process. However, in these CaL-CLC and CaL system integration schemes, the carbonation heat is utilized for steam generation, resulting a significant temperature difference and considerable irreversible loss. To prevent temperature mismatch, this paper proposes a novel Ca-Cu looping post-combustion CO2 capture method with thermochemical recuperation based on steam methane reforming. Additionally, a novel system integrated with turbine exhaust heat recovery is introduced to effectively reduce carbon emissions from flue gas. Results show that the proposed system has superior performance compared to the reference system based on the Ca-Cu looping method. The specific primary energy consumption for CO2 avoidance decreased from 2.40 MJLHV/kg CO2 in the reference system to 2.02 MJLHV/kg CO2. Exergy analysis indicates that a total of 3.0 % reduction in exergy destruction can be achieved in chemical reaction processes and heat recovery processes, contributing to the superior performance of the proposed system. Furthermore, the effects of key operating parameters indicate that cascaded turbine exhaust recovery is essential for improving the thermodynamic efficiency of the proposed system. Overall, recovering the mid-temperature carbonation heat via thermochemical regeneration and integrating with exhaust heat recovery contribute to reducing SPECCA, thus providing a promising low-energy-consumption alternative for CO2 capture.

Comparative Hydrogen Production Routes via Steam Methane Reforming and Chemical Looping Reforming of Natural Gas as Feedstock

Hydrogen production is essential in the transition to sustainable energy. This study examines two hydrogen production routes, steam methane reforming (SMR) and chemical looping reforming (CLR), both using raw natural gas as feedstock. SMR, the most commonly used industrial process, involves reacting methane with steam to produce hydrogen, carbon monoxide, and carbon dioxide. In contrast, CLR uses a metal oxide as an oxygen carrier to facilitate hydrogen production without generating additional carbon dioxide. Simulations conducted using Aspen HYSYS analyzed each method’s performance and energy consumption. The results show that SMR achieved 99.98% hydrogen purity, whereas CLR produced 99.97% purity. An energy analysis revealed that CLR requires 31% less energy than SMR, likely due to the absence of low- and high-temperature water–gas shift units. Overall, the findings suggest that CLR offers substantial advantages over SMR, including lower energy consumption and the production of cleaner hydrogen, free from carbon dioxide generated during the water–gas shift process.

Optimizing process parameters and materials for the conversion of plastic waste into hydrogen

Abstract This study has investigated hydrogen production from waste plastics using pyrolysis, steam methane reforming, and water-gas-shift reactions modelled via Aspen Plus. After evaluating multiple alternatives, polypropylene (PP) was selected as the feedstock. The research has been focused on how reformer temperature, steam-to-fuel ratio (S/F), reformer pressure, and pyrolysis temperature impact syngas composition, heating values, syngas (H2/CO) ratios, and yields of hydrogen (H2), methane (CH4), and carbon dioxide (CO2). Key findings have indicated that raising reformer temperatures to around 1000°C maximizes hydrogen production in syngas, reaching peak levels of 2360 Nm3/Ton and 2525 Nm3/Ton for reformer temperature and steam-to-fuel ratio (S/F) ratios, respectively, via processes like steam methane reforming and the water-gas-shift reaction. Moreover, other parameters like steam-to-fuel (S/F) ratio and reformer pressure have produced the highest amount of hydrogen at 0.25 and 1 atm, respectively. Optimizing reformer temperature and steam-to-fuel ratio (S/F) have been selected as key in hydrogen production, with peak lower heating values (LHV) of 1.15 MJ/kg for temperature and 1.035 MJ/kg for S/F ratios, highlighting the importance of balancing these parameters for efficiency. Additionally, syngas' hydrogen (H2) composition increased with pyrolysis temperature, peaking at 8.5% at 700°C. Finally, this research has provided valuable insights into optimizing process parameters for sustainable hydrogen production. Moreover, the simulation process has provided cost-effective adjustments and informed decision-making for sustainable and scalable technologies, benefiting researchers, investors, engineers, and policymakers involved in innovative hydrogen generation.

Topology optimization and numerical validation for heat transfer improvement in a packed-bed reactor with monolithic catalyst

This study focuses on optimizing heat transfer in packed-bed reactors by simplifying the problem to a two-dimensional steady-state heat conduction scenario. The objective is to efficiently arrange a limited volume of high-conductivity material to transport heat from the source to the low-conductivity heat-absorbing materials, representing the reacting fluid phase. The topology optimization problem is tackled using a density-based method that relies on a gradient-based algorithm. The optimized design is extruded and compared to a honeycomb internal structure using high-fidelity simulations for steam methane reforming. Results show a 6.04 % improvement in CH4 conversion for the optimized structure, highlighting the potential of this method to enhance monolithic catalysts, particularly in cases where heat transfer critically influences the reaction.

Life Cycle Fluoropolymer Management in Proton Exchange Membrane Electrolysis

Concerns over the life cycle impacts of fluoropolymers have led to their inclusion in broad product restriction proposals for per- and poly-fluorinated alkyl substances (PFAS), despite their non-bioavailable properties and low exposure potential in complex, durable goods such as non-consumer electrical products. Based on the hypothesis that manufacturers are most able to manage the environmental impacts of their products, practical engineering approaches to implementing life cycle fluoropolymer stewardship are evaluated to bridge the ongoing debate between precautionary and risk-based approaches to PFAS management. A life cycle thinking approach is followed that considers product design and alternatives, as well as the product life cycle stages of material sourcing, manufacturing, field deployment, and end-of-life. Over the product life cycle, the material sourcing and end-of-life stages are most impactful in minimizing potential life cycle PFAS emissions. Sourcing fluoropolymers from suppliers with fluorosurfactant emissions control and replacement minimizes the potential emissions of bio-available PFAS substances. A stack-as-service approach to electrolyzer operations ensures a takeback mechanism for the recycling of end-of-life fluoropolymer materials. Retaining electrolytic hydrogen’s license to operate results in over USD 2 of environmental and health benefits per kilogram of hydrogen produced from reduced greenhouse gas and air pollutant emissions compared to conventional hydrogen production via steam methane reforming.

Industrial-scale 12-layered-bed vacuum pressure swing adsorption for fuel cell-grade H2 production from carbon-captured steam methane reforming syngas

Vacuum pressure swing adsorption (VPSA) is primarily used to produce high-purity H2 from CO2-rich syngas in steam methane reforming (SMR) plants. Since carbon capture is essential, the performance of current H2 VPSA processes is affected by feeding carbon-captured SMR syngas (CO2-lean SMR syngas). This study conducted the performance evaluation and optimization for a fuel cell-grade H2 production by an industrial-scale 12-layered-bed VPSA process with a 24-step cycle from CO2-lean SMR syngas. The multi-scale dynamic model for the VPSA process was validated with petrochemical industry data from a current SMR-VPSA plant. A sensitivity analysis using CO2-lean SMR syngas indicated the high loss of H2 during desorption steps, suggesting the need for optimization of the VPSA process. Owing to the complex interconnectivity of 12 beds via 24 steps, the framework of a dynamic model-based deep neural network (DNN) and DNN-based optimization was developed to design and optimize the VPSA process. Even without changing equipment or adsorbent configuration, the VPSA process achieved fuel cell-grade H2 production (>99.9999 % H2 and > 88 % recovery with < 0.2 ppm CO). The results indicate that CO2 capture rates, ranging from 90 to 99 %, can be independently determined under techno-economic and environmental conditions, as this capture range of CO2-lean SMR syngas gives a minor impact on the performance of VPSA process. The proposed three-step framework, which encompasses dynamic modeling, surrogate modeling, and multi-objective optimization, provides a systematic and feasible approach for designing and optimizing the VPSA process in an SMR plant integrated with a carbon capture process, to achieve a low-carbon economy.

Towards sustainable hydrogen production: Integrating electrified and convective steam reformer with carbon capture and storage

This work reports the design of a process for hydrogen production based on electrified steam methane reforming (e-SMR) coupled with a convective reforming (convective SMR) and carbon capture and storage (CCS) as an alternative to conventional fuel-fired reforming to reduce natural gas (NG) consumption as well as carbon dioxide emissions. The energy required by the reforming reaction is supplied by direct electric heating instead of burning fossil fuel in the radiant section of a furnace, saving 35 % NG and reducing CO2 emission by 29 %. Implementing convective SMR reduces the electric load of the main e-SMR reactor and ensures a slightly higher thermal efficiency (80.2 %) compared to conventional fuel-fired reforming (78.9 %). Further CO2 emissions (85 %) and NG consumption reduction (50 %) are possible by adopting amine-based CO2 capture. If coupled with an energy integration scheme, it is possible to capture 75 % of the CO2 produced, preserving high energy efficiency (79.4 %). This requires only a 14 % increase in capital costs, which is strongly beneficial compared to applying CO2 capture to flue gases of the fuel-fired reforming (69.8 % efficiency and 80 % more capital costs).The process based on e-SMR coupled with convective SMR and CO2 capture ensures a levelized cost of hydrogen (LCOH) of 0.281 € Nm−3 H2, which is much lower than the conventional fuel-fired reforming with CO2 capture applied to flue gases (0.309 € Nm−3 H2). Moreover, it has comparable CO2 emissions (1.59 vs 0.99 kg CO2 emitted kg−1 H2) but produces lower CO2 (6.39 vs 9.88 CO2 produced kg−1 H2) compared to fuel-fired reforming due to using renewable electricity as energy source for the SMR. Compared to conventional fuel-fired reforming, the same process provides similar LCOH (0.283 vs 0.282 € Nm−3 H2) but with drastically lower CO2 emissions (1.59 vs 8.99 kg CO2 emitted kg−1 H2).

Preparation, characterization, and catalytic performance comparison of Ni/LaBO3 and Ru‐Ni/LaBO3 (B = Al, Fe) for methane steam reforming to hydrogen production

AbstractThe methane steam reforming (MSR) reaction is a significant process for hydrogen production, and developing catalysts with high activity and stability is crucial. In this work, the supported perovskite catalysts of Ni/LaBO3 and Ru‐Ni/LaBO3 (B = Al, Fe) were prepared by the sol–gel method using citric acid as a gelling agent for MSR to hydrogen production. The phase composition, pore structure, and surface morphology of the prepared catalysts were characterized by X‐ray diffractometer, Brunauer–Emett–Teller, scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive spectroscopy, and X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The reaction activity and stability of the prepared catalysts were tested in the fixed‐bed reactor with the temperature range of 500–800°C. The effect of Ru addition on the structure of perovskite and catalytic performance of MSR is explored. The results showed that 1wt%Ru–15wt%Ni/LaAlO3 catalyst exhibited the most excellent activity and stability during the reaction compared with the other three catalysts. The CH4 conversion, H2 selectivity, and H2 yield of the 1wt%Ru–15wt%Ni/LaAlO3 catalyst could reach 94.68%, 79.78%, and 48.65%, respectively, under the reaction temperature of 800°C and gas hourly space velocity of 36 000 mL/(gh), which were higher than those of a commercial catalyst. It was because that the relatively large surface area of perovskite support provides more active site and the addition of Ru enable Ni to have a smaller size and more dispersion. This study could provide a reference of perovskite catalysts for hydrogen production by MSR.

Comparative techno-economic assessment of renewable diesel production integrated with alternative hydrogen supply

The hydrodeoxygenation of triglycerides and fatty acids (HEFA) represents a well-established technological pathway for producing renewable drop-in fuels, such as renewable diesel, aviation fuel, or renewable light ends, like naphtha and LPG. A hydrogen supply is required, and the conventional method involves steam methane reforming (SMR) from natural gas. Both HEFA and SMR processes have been investigated in the literature separately. In this context, the goal of this work is to assess the hydrodeoxygenation process (HDO) of triglycerides/fatty acids integrated with hydrogen production. Two scenarios are compared by process simulation, equipment sizing, and economic analysis: one with traditional SMR (SC-A) and another with electrified SMR (SC–B), which is a recent alternative for hydrogen production with no natural gas. The HDO capacity was 6220 BPSD (38000 kg/h) of soybean oil, and the average yields for renewable diesel, naphtha, and LPG were 71.23 %-wt, 1.80 %-wt, and 5.87 %-wt, accordingly. Both scenarios were technical feasible and may be economically attractive. However, the grey hydrogen source was more profitable per its plant simplicity — although the CO2 taxation may impact its profitability.

Hydrogen Separation Membranes: A Material Perspective

The global energy market is shifting toward renewable, sustainable, and low-carbon hydrogen energy due to global environmental issues, such as rising carbon dioxide emissions, climate change, and global warming. Currently, a majority of hydrogen demands are achieved by steam methane reforming and other conventional processes, which, again, are very carbon-intensive methods, and the hydrogen produced by them needs to be purified prior to their application. Hence, researchers are continuously endeavoring to develop sustainable and efficient methods for hydrogen generation and purification. Membrane-based gas-separation technologies were proven to be more efficient than conventional technologies. This review explores the transition from conventional separation techniques, such as pressure swing adsorption and cryogenic distillation, to advanced membrane-based technologies with high selectivity and efficiency for hydrogen purification. Major emphasis is placed on various membrane materials and their corresponding membrane performance. First, we discuss various metal membranes, including dense, alloyed, and amorphous metal membranes, which exhibit high hydrogen solubility and selectivity. Further, various inorganic membranes, such as zeolites, silica, and CMSMs, are also discussed. Major emphasis is placed on the development of polymeric materials and membranes for the selective separation of hydrogen from CH4, CO2, and N2. In addition, cutting-edge mixed-matrix membranes are also delineated, which involve the incorporation of inorganic fillers to improve performance. This review provides a comprehensive overview of advancements in gas-separation membranes and membrane materials in terms of hydrogen selectivity, permeability, and durability in practical applications. By analyzing various conventional and advanced technologies, this review provides a comprehensive material perspective on hydrogen separation membranes, thereby endorsing hydrogen energy for a sustainable future.