A research team from the University of Alberta is collaborating with a Calgary energy company to extract hydrogen and high-demand carbon products from natural gas while emitting less CO2.
The Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council and the Mitacs Accelerate Grants Program awarded Innova Hydrogen and researchers in the Faculty of Engineering $1.2 million to develop the technology.
Natural gas is heated to about 1,000 degrees Celsius in a reactor, where it is thermally decomposed into hydrogen and “carbon black,” a substance used in plastics, ink, and rubber products. However, the heat used in that process, which is typically generated by electricity or natural gas combustion, emits CO2.
According to Olfert, the Innova project will primarily focus on the production of hydrogen using an iron-based catalyst in a specialized catalytic reactor. The process reduces the decomposition temperature while still producing the same amount of hydrogen.
The process becomes more efficient as the temperature drops.
The research project will be led by Olfert. Natalia Semagina, a chemical engineer, will look for the cheapest and most effective catalyst, while Marc Secanell Gallart, a mechanical engineer, will create theoretical models for hydrogen conversion in the reactor. Olfert’s team is also looking into ways to use some of the hydrogen produced by the reactor to provide heat for the reaction, essentially eliminating all carbon emissions except for trace amounts.
When hydrogen is burned or used in a fuel cell, it produces only water, making it one of the cleanest sources of energy. Its production has become a critical component of Alberta’s economic recovery strategy, as outlined in the Hydrogen Roadmap. Alberta is Canada’s largest producer of hydrogen, having used it to convert bitumen to synthetic crude oil for decades. Hydrogen could provide up to 30% of Canada’s end-use energy and meet up to 24% of global energy demand by 2050, according to the Hydrogen Strategy for Canada.
According to Olfert, an added benefit of Innova’s planned reactor is that it could produce upgraded carbon products.
