Launch of joint research with the National Institute for Materials Science (NIMS) to develop hydrogen production technology that uses hydrocarbons and does not emit carbon dioxide

Ebara Corporation (hereinafter referred to as "Ebara") has begun joint research with the National Institute for Materials Science (NIMS), Shizuoka University, and Taiyo Koko Co., Ltd., to carry out a project commissioned by the New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO) entitled "Pioneering Research and Development Project for Hydrogen Utilization, etc./Development of Hydrogen Production Technology Using Hydrocarbons, etc., Without Emissions of Carbon Dioxide/Hydrogen Production by Reaction Field Separation of Methane Activation and Carbon Precipitation."

In order to build a decarbonized society, in addition to switching to renewable energy, the use of hydrogen and ammonia, which do not emit carbon dioxide (CO2), is gaining importance. However, the traditional method of producing hydrogen (grey hydrogen) called steam methane reforming (SRM) has the problem of producing a large amount of carbon dioxide. In addition, the electrolysis of water (green hydrogen), a method of producing hydrogen that does not generate carbon dioxide, requires a lot of energy, which makes it costly.
"Methane pyrolysis" (turquoise hydrogen) is a technology that obtains hydrogen gas by decomposing methane gas, which is abundant in nature such as natural gas and biogas, into solid carbon and hydrogen (H2) by heating or irradiating it with plasma in the presence of a catalyst. It is currently attracting attention as a technology that does not generate carbon dioxide and can produce hydrogen at a lower cost than water electrolysis.

In order to realize the social implementation of "methane pyrolysis" technology, we are constructing a "reaction field separation hydrogen production system" that will serve as the foundation system, and conducting hydrogen production demonstration tests. In this research, NIMS will be responsible for mass flow matching of each functional element, Shizuoka University for developing the structured catalyst, Taiyo Koko for optimizing the hydrogen separation membrane design, and our company for scaling up the system and building the business model.

The "reaction field separation hydrogen production system" is a technology (Turquoise hydrogen production technology) that realizes hydrogen production without generating carbon dioxide using hydrocarbons (methane) as a raw material through a cyclic process that continuously performs methane dry reforming* (DRM), hydrogen separation, and carbon monoxide disproportionation reaction. The feature of this technology is that the process of activating methane to extract hydrogen and the process of extracting carbon are spatially separated, and can be carried out at relatively low temperatures below 800°C. These features make the reaction field separation hydrogen production system an energy-efficient process and potentially solves the problem of other methane pyrolysis methods, where hydrogen and solid carbon are produced simultaneously.

Furthermore, unlike other methane decomposition processes, the reaction field separation process allows us to control the process of extracting solid carbon independently of the process of generating hydrogen. It has the advantage of being able to flexibly produce high-added-value carbon with various shapes and different properties without affecting the efficiency of hydrogen generation.

The company aims to establish a hydrogen production process that can mass-produce hydrogen cheaply and without emitting carbon dioxide from hydrocarbons such as natural gas and biogas, and to develop a process for producing solid carbon with various properties, while seeking collaboration with partners with whom it can collaborate. We will contribute to reducing greenhouse gas emissions and realizing a carbon-free society, as outlined in our long-term vision "E-Vision 2030."

Contact for this matter

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EBARA Group aims to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and further enhance its corporate value by addressing key ESG issues based on its long-term vision and medium-term management plan.

※ CH4(methane) + CO2(carbon dioxide) = 2H2(hydrogen) + 2CO(carbon monoxide): Decomposing the greenhouse gases methane and carbon dioxide into hydrogen and carbon monoxide