ExxonMobil, a US energy and petrochemical company, and Topsoe, a Danish company that specializes in carbon emission reduction technologies, have signed a contract under which Topsoe will deliver its hydrogen SynCOR technology to ExxonMobil’s planned low-carbon hydrogen production facility in Baytown, Texas.
The facility, which will be built within ExxonMobil’s integrated refinery and petrochemical complex in Baytown, Houston, Texas, aims to produce 1 billion cubic feet of hydrogen per day when it is operational in 2027–2028, making it the largest low-carbon hydrogen project in the world.
ExxonMobil will be able to manufacture hydrogen at a massive scale using Topsoe’s SynCOR hydrogen technology, as well as absorb and store more than 98% of the associated CO2 emissions, or roughly 7 million metric tonnes annually.
According to Topsoe, SynCOR, a system based on cutting-edge auto thermal reforming principles, is frequently chosen for mega-scale hydrogen generation due to its maturity and low capital and operating costs.
Topsoe has partnered with Honeywell UOP, a carbon capture technology licensor, to create an integrated solution for the Baytown complex. Honeywell UOP will provide its carbon capture technology for the site.
The Baytown Olefins plant and other facilities in the Houston area are anticipated to get low-carbon fuel from the facility. It should be noted that switching the Baytown Olefins facility from natural gas to hydrogen might cut the integrated complex’s CO2 emissions by up to 30%.