Blue Hydrogen Production and Carbon Capture Integration in Refineries

 Blue hydrogen, produced from natural gas with integrated carbon capture and storage (CCS), represents a critical transition pathway toward net-zero hydrogen production. Unlike green hydrogen which requires renewable electricity, blue hydrogen leverages existing natural gas infrastructure while significantly reducing lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions through permanent CO2 sequestration.

Blue Hydrogen Production Pathways

The primary blue hydrogen production route is steam methane reforming (SMR) with CCS. In this process, natural gas reacts with steam under heat to produce hydrogen and CO2. Capturing 90%+ of the resulting CO2 stream reduces lifecycle emissions to approximately 60-90% lower than conventional grey hydrogen production. Capital costs for blue hydrogen facilities currently range from $1,500-2,500 per tonne of annual capacity, with CO2 capture adding 20-30% to plant costs.

Refinery Integration and Industrial Demand

Refineries require substantial hydrogen volumes for hydrotreating and hydrocracking operations. Current hydrogen demand in refining exceeds 40 million tonnes annually globally. Converting refinery hydrogen production from grey to blue pathways offers immediate emissions reductions without major process modifications. Post-combustion capture technology already deployed in some facilities achieves 85-95% CO2 removal efficiency.

CO2 Utilisation and Storage Economics

Captured CO2 from blue hydrogen can be utilised in enhanced oil recovery (EOR), chemical synthesis, or permanently sequestered in depleted oil/gas fields or saline aquifers. Long-term storage costs range from $10-30 per tonne, making economics viable when combined with carbon pricing frameworks or government incentives.

Policy and Market Development

Governments including Germany, Japan, and the United Kingdom have announced blue hydrogen support programs through hydrogen strategies and production incentives. The International Energy Agency identifies blue hydrogen as essential for meeting 2050 net-zero targets, requiring rapid deployment scaling alongside green hydrogen development.

Future Perspectives

Blue hydrogen serves as a pragmatic bridge technology, leveraging existing fossil fuel infrastructure while capturing emissions. Competitive dynamics between blue and green hydrogen will evolve as renewable electricity costs decline and green hydrogen scale increases. Hybrid strategies combining blue and green pathways are likely optimal for industrial decarbonisation.

References

IEA (International Energy Agency). (2021). The Future of Hydrogen: Seizing today's opportunities. Paris: IEA Publications. https://doi.org/10.1787/1e0514c4-en

McFarland, E. (2012). Unconventional chemistry for unconventional natural gas. Current Opinion in Chemical Engineering, 1(1), 78-84. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.coche.2011.12.003

Zhao, X., Ma, Q., & Liu, Z. (2019). Carbon capture and utilisation in building chemicals. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 113, 109287. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rser.2019.109287

Keywords: Blue hydrogen, CCUS, natural gas, SMR, carbon capture, refineries, decarbonisation, hydrogen economy

Carbon Capture, Utilisation and Storage (CCUS): Technologies and Industrial Applications

 Carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from industrial processes remain a critical challenge in achieving net-zero targets. Carbon Capture, Utilisation and Storage (CCUS) technology offers a pathway to reduce, capture, and either utilise or permanently sequester CO2 from point sources such as refineries, ammonia plants, cement facilities, and power generation units.

Fundamentals of CCUS

CCUS comprises three integrated stages: capture, utilisation or storage. Capture technologies include post-combustion capture (removing CO2 from flue gases), pre-combustion capture (converting fuel before combustion), and oxy-fuel combustion (burning fuel in pure oxygen). Maturity levels vary, with post-combustion capture being commercially established while emerging technologies like direct air capture (DAC) remain in pilot phases.

Capture Cost and Energy Requirements

Post-combustion capture typically costs $40-60 per tonne of CO2 for industrial sources. Energy requirements range from 3-4 GJ per tonne for solid sorbent systems to 2-3 GJ for solvent-based approaches. This energy intensity necessitates coupling with low-carbon electricity or renewable sources for net-zero alignment.

Industrial Applications

Refineries and Ammonia: Hydrogen production in ammonia synthesis generates CO2-rich shift gas; capturing 90%+ of CO2 is technically feasible. Global ammonia production (170+ million tonnes annually) represents a significant decarbonisation opportunity where CCUS could reduce emissions by 200+ million tonnes CO2 annually.

Cement and Steel: These heavy industries produce process-related CO2 from calcium carbonate decomposition, unrelated to fuel combustion. CCUS is among few mitigation pathways; emerging oxyfuel calcination and low-calcium clinker formulations show promise.

CO2 Utilisation Routes

Underground Utilisation: Enhanced Oil Recovery (EOR) remains the largest CO2 utilisation outlet globally (~150 million tonnes/year), though raising sustainability questions due to continued fossil fuel extraction.

Chemical Utilisation: CO2 as feedstock for methanol synthesis, urea production, and polycarbonate manufacturing is gaining traction. Methanol-from-CO2 offers circular benefits if coupled with green hydrogen. Current volumes remain modest (< 5 million tonnes/year) but show 15-20% annual growth.

Mineralisation: Permanent sequestration through CO2 mineralisation (converting to carbonates) offers non-reversible storage but faces scaling and cost challenges ($100-200/tonne).

Geological Storage

Permanent CO2 sequestration in depleted oil/gas fields, saline aquifers, and unmineable coal seams offers long-term storage stability. The Sleipner field (Norway) and Gorgon project (Australia) demonstrate multi-decade operational readiness. Storage capacity is estimated at 1,000+ gigatonnes globally, far exceeding near-term capture volumes.

Policy and Economics

CCUS projects require supportive policy: carbon pricing (making abatement economically attractive), tax credits, and government-backed storage liability frameworks. India's CO2 utilisation policy (2022) and similar frameworks globally are beginning to enable CCUS deployment.

Future Research Directions

Advanced sorbent and membrane materials targeting <$30/tonne capture costs; modular, digitally-enabled CCUS units for distributed deployment; and integration of CCUS with renewable energy systems for zero-carbon chemical production.

Keywords: CCUS, carbon capture, CO2 utilisation, geological storage, net-zero, decarbonisation, ammonia, refinery emissions, mineralisation, enhanced oil recovery