Feed-Flexible, Process-Flexible Hydrogen Production Pilot Plant

Research Team:

Dr. Raphael Idem (Project Leader)
Dr. Hussameldin Ibrahim (Project Co-Lead Researcher)
Dr. Ataullah Khan (Lead Researcher, Catalyst Development)
Numerous graduate students

Research Overview

A revolutionary new catalyst has been developed for feed-flexible hydrogen production. This new catalyst helps convert virtually any hydrogen-carrying feedstock into hydrogen. Along with a flexible process design, this catalyst has enabled the development of a single hydrogen production plant capable of utilizing an extremely wide range of feedstocks, including blended feedstocks, without needing to switch catalysts or halt production to change feed sources. This breakthrough technology also dramatically reduces the energy cost of hydrogen production, making the plants both economic and scalable. Small-scale, feed- and process-flexible hydrogen production represents a tremendous step forward in making hydrogen, considered to be the ideal clean-burning fuel, available as a primary energy source.

Background - Hydrogen Benefits and Challenges

Hydrogen is considered the ideal clean energy source because it is efficient and clean burning, producing only water vapour as a byproduct. However, there are many challenges to transitioning from our current energy sources (mainly fossil fuels) to hydrogen.

Hydrogen does not occur in free form on earth. It must be separated from other substances, known as hydrogen carriers. These include water and hydrocarbon fuels, such as fossil fuels. Thus, producing hydrogen in large quantities presents two major challenges. In the first place, it requires a significant amount of energy to separate hydrogen from its carriers. Secondly, carbon dioxide (CO2), a major greenhouse gas, is generated as a significant byproduct in the process. Both of these issues can result in large CO₂ emissions associated with the hydrogen production process, which significantly reduces the benefits of using hydrogen as a clean energy source.

There are two primary methods of producing hydrogen, but both present challenges for maintaining the clean energy benefits of hydrogen:

Electrolysis utilizes the application of electricity to separate the hydrogen from a hydrogen carrier. The issue with electrolysis is that it requires an initial clean energy source to produce the electricity in the first place; otherwise, the CO₂ and other pollutants produced during electricity production will offset the clean energy benefits of the hydrogen produced. Electrolysis, then, is only effective for hydrogen production when the electricity is generated from clean power production sources like hydroelectric, wind, and solar power. These, of course, also have drawbacks. Hydroelectric power is geographically limited to only those areas with sufficient water resources. Likewise, wind and solar power are geographically limited and, additionally, they are currently still too unreliable and generate too little energy to produce sufficiently large hydrogen supplies. Because of the cost of electricity generation, hydrogen production from electrolysis is also comparatively expensive.

Hydrocarbon reformation involves the application of heat to separate hydrogen from a carrier, usually a fossil fuel such as natural gas. Many areas of the world are fossil fuel reliant simply because they do not have adequate access to clean energy alternatives such as hydroelectric power. Current hydrogen production processes in these areas utilize steam-based catalytic and non-catalytic processes, which tend to be very large in scale. Of course, the generation of heat for the process typically involves combustion of a fossil fuel. Thus, hydrogen production in these areas is not only energy intensive, but also involves large-scale CO₂ emissions. In addition, the catalytic processes are feedstock specific.

Our solution:

Our Feed-Flexible, Process-Flexible Hydrogen Production Technology represents a revolutionary solution to the above challenges of hydrogen production.

How does our feed-flexible, process-flexible hydrogen production plant work?

Our hydrogen plant design uses a unique catalyst that works with virtually any hydrogen carrier as a feed source. Using a catalyst also reduces the amount of heat required to convert the hydrocarbon into hydrogen since, like any catalyst, it does part of the work that normally requires heat or electricity. This makes the process more efficient, which both reduces the cost of hydrogen production and enables the plants to be built on a smaller scale.

Feedstocks

Hydrogen can be produced from a variety of feedstocks, including fossil fuels, biomass materials such as biofuels, and water. Our plant is designed to utilize both fossil fuels, in the form of natural gas, and biomass such as bio-fuels. It can also process both gases and liquids and can even process mixtures of gases or mixtures of liquids. This provides extreme feedstock flexibility. Rather than being reliant on the availability of one particular feed source, operators can switch between many available feed sources without having to change catalysts or otherwise disrupt plant operations. What's more, many of the feedstocks that can be used are also byproducts or waste products from agricultural or industrial operations, making hydrogen production a value-added alternative to disposing of these products, which in many cases is quite difficult. The feedstocks that can be used include:

Biomass: Typically this includes plant materials, often those left over after wood and agricultural production. It can also include inedible plants.
Bio-fuel: This includes fuels produced from biological materials, such as biodiesel and ethanol. One of the paricular advantages of our technology is that crude ethanol can be used, which eliminates a step in the ethanol feedstock production, making the overall process more efficient.
Glycerol: This is one of the major byproducts of bio-diesel production. It can be used in a number of industries, but large-scale bio-diesel production generates much more glycerol than can be utilized, and it is challenging to dispose of. Its use as a hydrogen feedstock turns it into a value-added product and eliminates the need to dispose of it.
Fusel oils: These are the higher alcohols that are produced during fermentation. Examples include propanol, butanol, and pentanol. To produce high purity ethanol or distilled liquors (such as whiskey), these products must be removed through distillation processes. Therefore, they are common byproducts that can be used to produce hydrogen in our process.
Biogas: This is the gas produced from the degradation of biological materials. Major sources of biogas are landfills and water treatment processes. Normally a source of greenhouse gas emissions, if it is collected, biogas represents a value-added feed source for hydrogen production.

Incorporation of CO₂ Capture

One of the drawbacks of hydrogen production through reformation of hydrocarbon sources is that cabon dioxide is a major byproduct of the process. Our unique process design actually utlizes CO2 in the reformation process. The first step of the process involves conversion of the feedstock and CO2 into hydrogen, with additional byproducts of methane, carbon monoxide, and carbon dioxide. These products are then processed in the second step into additional hydrogen and CO₂.

Our unique, new membrane reactor effectively separates the hydrogen and the CO2. A portion of the CO₂ is recylced into the first stage while the remainder is collected and sent for utilzation in a number of end uses.

As large quantities of CO2 are produced, the ideal end use is to send the CO2 to partially depleted oil and gas fields to be used for Enhanced Oil or Gas Recovery and geological storage (the CO₂ improves recovery while remaining trapped in the reservoir).

Zero-emissions and CO₂ Sink

The incorporation of CO2 capture and recycling in our hydrogen production process offsets or prevents the CO₂ produced from being emitted. This makes it a CO₂ neutral or zero-emissions process. When biomass and bio-fuels are used as the feed sources, the process actually serves as a carbon sink, which means it actually reduces CO2 in the atmosphere. The plants that form the basis of the bio-fuel absorb CO₂, which is captured during the hydrogen production process and geologically stored, thereby removing it from the atmosphere.

Our Hydrogen Production Process

In the first step of our two-step process, a feed source, or blend of feed sources, along with CO2, enters the catalytic reactor, where our unique catalyst works to convert them into hydrogen with byproducts of methane, carbon monoxide, and carbon dioxide. These products, along with water, then enter the catalystic membrane reactor where the catalyst further processes them into more hydrogen plus CO2. The membrane technology separates the hydrogen and carbon dioxide. The hydrogen is then ready to be used while part of the CO2 is recycled into the catalytic reactor. The remaining CO₂ is collected for secondary utilization (typically geological storage).

Applications

Due to our unique catalyst and process design, our hydrogen plants can be built on both large and small scales. This will enable plants to be built large enough to supply hydrogen for heating, transportation, and electricity in small or large communities or built small enough for single facilities or complexes like airports or industrial plants.

The utilization of local feedstocks will support local agricultural sectors and reduce municipal waste while creating many new local industries. It will also enable a transition to more distributed, smaller-scale power production.

The following graphic demonstrates the central role our hydrogen production plants will play in tying together local industries and helping our communities to transition to a hydrogen- and bio-fuels-based economy:

Facilities and Services

Pilot Plant

The major facility for this project is the pilot plant that will be used for pre-commercial demonstration of our catalyst technologies and unique process design. The pilot plant is being commissioned with $2.7 million in funding from the Canadian and Saskatchewan governments (Western Economic Diversification and Saskatchewan Enterprise) through the Western Economic Partnership Agreement. It is scheduled to open in January 2012. The pilot plant will serve as the first prototype of our commercial hydrogen plants. It will provide engineering data to assist with the final commercial design. It will also enable the U of R to test and screen other catalysts, both those developed inhouse and those developed by research partners and external clients. Pilot testing will include:

Catalyst activity screening
Long-term stability testing (bench & pilot scale)
Catalyst Activation, Deactivation, & Regeneration Studies

Catalyst Manufacturing Services

In addition to the pilot plant, a catalyst manufacturing facility is also being commissioned. This facility will enable U of R to produce custom catalysts for other research groups and industry clients. Utilizing our expertise, we can help clients develop and test their own catalysts. Our Catalyst Manufacturing Services will include:

Consistent, reliable, highly reproducible catalysts
Custom catalyst production
Catalyst pelletizing

Catalyst Characterization Services

The analytical laboratories at the University of Regina's Greenhouse Gas Technology Centre are among the most advanced in the world. Services will include both fresh and spent catalyst characterization utilizing Solid State Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Scanning Electron Microscopy, Powder X-Ray Diffraction, Infrared Spectroscopy, and Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy, to name a few of our unique array of analytical equipment and expertise.

Training Services

As we are an institution of higher learning, part of the role of this project will involve providing a range of opportunities for training in catalyst manufacturing, analytical testing, and process and operational training. The ultimate goal is to provide not only unique hydrogen production technology, but also the highly qualified personnel to design and operate the plants.

Research Partnerships

The pilot plant facility and analytical services will also be available for joint-research partnerships with other institutions and industry partners.

Getting Involved

If you would like more information on our hydrogen pilot plant project or on our facilities and services, please contact:

Dr. Raphael Idem

Phone: 306-585-4470

Email: raphael.idem@uregina.ca

Mail:

Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science
University of Regina
3737 Wascana Parkway
Regina, SK
CANADA S4S 0A2

Image Gallery

The following images depict catalyst and catalyst production and testing in the Catalyst Lab in the Greenhouse Gas Technology Centre at the University of Regina. The images feature Dr. Ataullah Khan. Photo credit should be given to the University of Regina Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science:

The following images depict the bench-scale testing equipment used to demonstrate the new hydrogen production process before commissioning the pilot facility. The images feature Dr. Hussameldin Ibrahim. Photo credit should be given to U of R Photography:

Hydrogen Technology Graphics

Credit for the following graphics should be given to the Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science:

University of Regina Feed-Flexible, Process-Flexible Hydrogen Production Plant Process Diagram

Same diagram without text:

Hydrogen Greenhouse Gas Cycle Graphic:

Hydrogen Civilization Graphic (depicting the role of hydrogen in future energy production):

Hydrogen