che_november-2023 - 28

MP process economics
Publications dealing with technoeconomic
analysis of MP technologies
use a wide-ranging set of assumptions,
methodologies, plant
capacities and unit pricing of natural
gas, carbon, electricity, water, consumables,
labor, carbon-offset credits
and other parameters. Because of
this variability, the published data do
not allow for equitable comparison of
projected economic performance of
competing technologies. Nevertheless,
reviewed articles provide valuable
insights into expected economic
performance of methane pyrolysis
technology and are summarized as
follows (for uniformity, all costs are
expressed in 3Q 2023 dollars):
* Hydrogen production costs using
SMR-CCS technology varied from
$1.40/kg to $2.50/kg of H2, depending
on natural gas cost and other factors
used in analysis [23, 24, 16]
* For molten salt (KCl-MnCl2) bubblecolumn
reactors, projected H2 production
cost is $1.80/kg of H2 based
on natural gas at $2.30/GJ and zero
revenue for produced carbon [24].
* Hydrogen from molten media (Ni-Bi
metal and salt) reactors costs $1.70/
kg of H2 to produce, which is much
less than water electrolysis based on
polymer electrode membrane (PEM)
technology ($3.00/kg H2 for electricity
cost alone). A carbon-offset credit
of $26/ton CO2 is required to achieve
cost parity with SMR. Alternatively,
carbon co-product revenues would
have to exceed $200/ton carbon for
the same effect [25].
* For fluidized-bed reactors using
solid Fe-based catalysts, projected
H2 production cost was $3.20-3.50/
kg H2 based on natural gas at $7.50/
GJ, with zero revenue for produced
carbon, and no catalyst recycle or
carbon purification, all against $2.50/
kg H2 for SMR-CCS benchmark. For
H2 to become competitive with SMRCCS,
20% of produced carbon would
have to sell at $1.20-1.50/kg. The
economics and thermal efficiency are
highly sensitive to catalyst activity and
resulting H2 yield [15].
* Carbon co-product revenue in the
$600-900/ton range will completely
offset H2 production cost [26].
* The H2 production cost from a fluidized-bed
MP reactor will match that
28
of an SMR process (without CCS) if
carbon sells for $300-800/ton [27].
* Production cost of H2 from the
MP process based on a hot cyclone
reactor wetted by liquid Zn metal is
$2.50/kg of crude (94%) H2, and
$3.40/kg pure (99%+) H2 with zero
carbon revenues for both cases [19].
Overall, turquoise H2 can be produced
at $1.80-4.00/kg without
carbon sales or offsets, which is not
yet cost-competitive with grey H2
($0.90-3.00/kg to produce). However,
turquoise H2 may compete favorably
with blue hydrogen produced
at $1.40-2.50/kg by SMR-CCS.
The economic feasibility of turquoise
hydrogen can be vastly improved
by selling carbon co-product
and generating revenue from carbon-offset
credits or from avoided
carbon tax (for example, obtained by
replacing SMR or oil-derived carbon
black plants with an MP process).
Economic feasibility can also be
improved through technical innovation.
For example, the ETCH process
[5] that employs Ni-based redox reactions
is projected to produce H2
at $1.00-1.50/kg of H2 without carbon
sales or carbon offsets revenue,
which compares favorably to SMR.
Current growing demand for carbon
black and graphite creates significant
market opportunities for MP-produced
carbon. However, new markets for
carbon are needed to strengthen the
driving force required for broad adoption
of MP technology.
Large-scale grassroots MP plants
will have to compete with fully amortized
existing H2 plants. For this reason,
it may be worthwhile to consider
the feasibility of retrofitting the existing
installations with MP reactors and
solids handling subsystems.
For more information on MP, view
the online version of this article at
www.chemengonline.com.
n
Edited by Scott Jenkins
References
1. Koch, T., Blank, P. Moll, Hydrogen's Decarbonization Impact for
Industry, Rocky Mountain Institute, Insight Brief, January 2020.
2. Kelsall, G., Hydrogen from Coal, Coal Age, May 7, 2021.
3.
Gorski, J., T.Jutt, T., Tam Wu, K., Carbon Intensity of Blue Hydrogen
Production, Pembina Institute, Technical Paper, August 2021.
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Concepts to Avoid Carbon Deposition in Pyrolysis Reactions,
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5. Erlebacher, J., Gaskey, B., Method of CO2-free Hydrogen Production
from Hydrocarbon Decomposition over Metal Salts, U.S.
Patent 9,776,860, Oct. 2017. Also https://etchmaterials.com.
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Hydrogen and Carbon for the Metallurgical Industry,
Mater. Proc., 5, 67, 2021.
12. Anon., HiiROC $34M for thermal plasma electrolysis of natural
gas, Technology Wealth, Dec 8, 2022.
13. Ekona Power ($68M for pulsed natural gas pyrolysis), Technology
Wealth, Dec. 3, 2022.
14. Gaius, D., Structural, High-Value Carbon and Hydrogen from
Natural Gas, Huntsman Merrimack/Advanced Materials slide
presentation at U.S. Dept. of Energy ARPA-E Carbon Cohort
Conference, Las Vegas, Nev., Jan. 2021
15. Huntsman website: www.huntsman.com/products/.
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17. Hazer Group website: hazergroup.com.au.
18. Bode, A and Flick, D., A Potential New Process for H2 Production
without CO2 Emissions, slide presentation at ARPA-E Methane
Pyrolysis Program Review Meeting, Jan. 12 and 14, 2021.
19. Rupp, B., High Throughput Methane Pyrolysis for Low Cost,
Emissions-Free Hydrogen, ARPA-E Methane Pyrolysis Annual
Program Review, 2021
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for the High-Temperature Methane Pyrolysis and the Reverse
Water-Gas Shift Reaction, Doctoral Thesis, Dortmund Technische
Universitat, Germany 2018.
21. Akbari, P., Copeland, C. D., Tüchler, S., Davidson, M., and
Mahmoodi-Jezeh, S. V., Shock Wave Heating: A Novel Method
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22. G. Skoptsov, et.al., Microwave-Assisted Fluidized Bed Reactor,
US Patent 20220362731A1.
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Production Costs in Steam-Methane Reforming Considering
Integration with Electrolysis and CO2 Capture, Cleaner Eng. &
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in Molten Salts, Cleaner Eng. & Tech., 10, 100552, 2022.
25. Parkinson, B., Tabatabaei, M., Upham, D.,Ballinger B., Greig, C.,
Smart, S., McFarland, E., Hydrogen Production Using Methane:
Techno-economics of Decarbonizing Fuels and Chemicals, Int J
Hydrogen Energy, 43 (5), pp. 2540-2455, 2018.
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Through Methane Decomposition of Natural Gas - GHG Emissions
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100043, 2020.
27. N. Muradov, Thermocatalytic CO2-free Production of Hydrogen
from Hydrocarbon Fuels, Proc. DOE Hydrogen Program Review,
NREL/CP-57-30535, 2001.
28 J. Yeheskel, M. Epstein, Thermolysis of Methane in a Solar
Reactor for Mass Production of Hydrogen and Carbon NanoMaterials,
Carbon, 49 (14), 4695-4703, 2011.
29. A.L. Gusev, et.al., Production of hydrogen and carbon in the petrochemical
industry by cracking of hydrocarbons in the process
of heat utilization in steel production, Intl. J. Hydrogen Energy,
48, 40, 14954-14963, 2023.
. Author
Carl Fromm is a process engineer
and project manager
with
consulting
firm Green
Star BCS LLC (840 Gessner
Rd., Suite 250, Houston, TX
77024; Email: carl_fromm@
yahoo.com). He has close to
50 years of experience in
process development and
plant design covering a wide
range of industries, including petroleum refining,
chemicals, pharmaceuticals, metallurgical,
utilities and environmental protection.
CHEMICAL ENGINEERING WWW.CHEMENGONLINE.COM
NOVEMBER 2023
http://www.huntsman.com/products/ http://hazergroup.com.au http://www.chemengonline.com/hydrogen-production-via-methane-pyrolysis-an-overview-of-turquoise-h2/ https://www.etchmaterials.com http://WWW.CHEMENGONLINE.COM
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