Skoltech researchers have found a way to produce hydrogen from natural gas with 45% efficiency right in the gas field by injecting steam and a catalyst into a well and adding oxygen to ignite the gas. Catalyst-assisted combustion produces a mixture of carbon monoxide and hydrogen, from which the latter can be easily extracted. This technology will help accelerate the transition from fossil fuels to clean hydrogen power. The study was published in Fuel.
I’m all for hydrogen, but how will this process fuck up the environment?
My understanding is that natural gas is a more powerful greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide, so every natural reservoir of it is a liability. If the process described in the paper will actually work outside of the lab, then in situ SMR and sequestration of the carbon dioxide byproduct would result in a net benefit for the environment.
Well then, let’s fuckin go! (And thanks for the info!)