"In its efforts to further reduce greenhouse gas emissions, the natural gas industry is marshaling new technologies that offer a more cost-effective way to reduce emissions. Many commercial and industrial operations rely on natural gas. Switching to electricity or alternative fuels to reduce emissions would require significant reworking of their systems, said Mothusi Pahl, vice president of business development and government affairs at Modern Hydrogen Inc. "Converting to electricity will cost on the scale of millions of dollars per factory," he said. "Plus, they would have to shut down their factory to convert and will be subject to power outages, which impacts profits."
"More efficient solutions include removing carbon from natural gas and using hydrogen-enhanced natural gas (HENG) to reduce carbon in the fuel stream. Both technologies create an environmentally friendly fuel source that works with existing systems and equipment.
Pre-combustion carbon capture
"Modern Hydrogen strips carbon from natural gas, preventing those molecules from becoming carbon dioxide. Called "pre-combustion carbon capture," this technology can be paired with existing gas networks to decarbonize them at stages upstream during gas transmissions, at utility gate stations, or directly at an operator's point of use. The largest component of natural gas is methane, composed of one carbon atom and four hydrogen atoms. Stripping carbon atoms from natural gas leaves pure hydrogen, which can be used alone or blended back with natural gas for use in heat, steam, power generation, and other applications. The process also leaves industrial-grade solid carbon and eliminates the production of carbon dioxide (CO2). The solid carbon can then be sold to asphalt and concrete manufacturers for use in building roads. "This is a full cycle process," Pahl said. "It gets the carbon out of natural gas and the carbon goes into roads to make them more cost-effective to build."
"Modern Hydrogen has entered a strategic partnership with leading industrial boiler manufacturer Miura Co. Ltd. to use its technology to develop new solutions for industrial heating systems. Modern Hydrogen has field trials planned for this year. Miura produces hydrogen-fueled boilers that emit no carbon dioxide during operation. The partnership between Miura and Modern Hydrogen will combine Miura's hydrogen technologies with Modern Hydrogen's decarbonization technique."
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Gas Technology 2023
