Plasma Pyrolysis3 Oct 2021 22:52
The microwave plasma pyrolysis technology developed by Pittsburgh-based H Quest uses electricity to generate microwaves that moves methane (CH4) into a plasma state, stripping off hydrogen atoms and initiating a chain reaction that creates solid carbon or petrochemical compounds such as acetylene (C2H2) and ethylene (C2H4).
“Thanks to the high value of the carbon co-product, under the currently prevailing natural gas and electricity prices, H Quest could essentially give the hydrogen away for free, and still make a profit,” chief executive George Skoptsov tells Recharge.
Natural gas is used to produce most of the hydrogen currently used around the world today in the fertiliser, oil refining and chemicals sectors, but the steam methane reforming process used produces nine to 12 tonnes of CO2 per tonne of H2. This is because the carbon molecules combine with oxygen in the air, but take air out of the equation, and methane will split into hydrogen and solid carbon.
Heating natural gas in the absence of air, mainly inside so-called pyrolysis ovens, has long been discussed, with any H2 produced in this way being labelled as “turquoise hydrogen”.
But pyrolysis ovens are still in their infancy and currently very expensive, with the high temperatures needed — which require burning a fraction of the hydrogen produced — not exactly keeping costs low. Consequently, no commercial turquoise hydrogen plants are yet in operation.
H Quest chief executive George Skoptsov. Photo: H Quest
By contrast, H Quest’s microwaves require four times less electricity than required for the green-hydrogen electrolysis process that splits water molecules into H2 and oxygen, the company says.
But the start-up’s technology has further advantages over pyrolysis ovens — it is able to produce different and higher-value forms of carbon, including super-strong nanotubes and graphene, as well as petrochemicals used in heavy industry that are normally derived from unabated fossil fuels.
“It’s very difficult to make a high-value carbon product, which is why a lot of people [looking into turquoise hydrogen] will say, ‘well, there's so much carbon], it's low quality, with poor structure and impurities, we'll bury it under our plants’,” says Skoptsov. “And our carbon is fundamentally different and that's what makes us, what makes this process, different.”
Blue hydrogen 'worse than gas for the climate': landmark study's damning verdict
Read more
Upstream emissions risk 'killing the concept of blue hydrogen', says Equinor vice-president
Read more
There are many forms — or allotropes — of pure carbon that differ according to how the atoms are arranged, including diamonds; carbon black, which is used in the production of tyres, printer inks and reinforced plastics and batteries; graphite, used in pencils; one-atom-thick graphenesheets; and carbon nanotubes, the strongest material yet discovered.
Sign In
Follow the stocks
