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Guildford, UK, November 2, 2020 - Linde (NYSE: LIN; FWB: LIN) announced it will start producing green hydrogen at its plant in Ontario, California, supporting the growing needs of hydrogen mobility customers in the region.

 

Interesting. According to this, they use reforming of natural gas to make 'grey' hydrogen at this plant. To make 'green' hydrogen, they will use methane from landfills as the source of fuel for the reforming.

Actually I read here that 'green' hydrogen comes from electrolysis using electricity from renewable sources such as wind or solar. If it comes from from reformed natural gas, it is 'grey' hydrogen. If it comes from natural gas, and the C02 is captured in the process, or if it comes from biogas, it should be called 'blue' hydrogen.

So I think, technically, Linde is starting to produce blue hydrogen at this Ontario plant.

 

Landfill gas is considered green. As it comes from decomposing organic matter we threw away, the majority of the carbon in it was carbon already in the carbon cycle. As oppose to natural gas's carbon that has been locked out of the cycle for millions of years. Landfill gas power plants are considered renewable for the purpose of green power for electrolysis.

Steam reforming landfill gas is more energy efficient than electrolysis. It is also a limited resource. Not going to be enough of it for hydrogen if it takes off like the proponents continue to say. And it will be yet another ten years before green electrolysis reaches price parity with steam reformed natural gas.

 

This is a good start.
What will the cost per mile be in the Mirai once you have to pay for the fuel?

Mike

 

I’ll let you know in 3 years!!!

 

It is not uncommon to recover CO2 from nat gas reforming H2 plants. It is very pure CO2 and can be used for beverages and anything else, and probably sequestered quite economically (compared to coal or maybe even nat gas). Need to review my stoichiometry but I am thinking nat gas H2 manufacture has the benefit of less CO2 made and high quality.

As far as elelctrolytic "green" H2 I am thinking there are two benefits (1) eco-preferred by some and (2) I am thinking high purity. Reforming H2 can be quite high purity too but I am starting to get the impression fuel cells need ultra-super duper high purity.

 

Delaying the release until you sip a beverage doesn't negate the fact that is was produced from making H2, no?

Mike

 

Yes, the CO2 and hydrogen need to be separated from each other either way. Actually recovering the CO2 depends on whether there is a market for it. Are food plants or cattle lots(our beef system and cattle diet results in upset cow tummies, they drink a lot of soda water to ease the discomfort, might be more than what people drink) close enough to justify the costs.

Then the US does sequester more CO2 than anyone else, but virtually all it goes into the ground to get more oil up. Putting carbon into the ground without getting more out means higher cost for the hydrogen.

Yes, PEM fuel cells used by Toyota and other FCEVs on the road require hydrogen of research purity. It doesn't take much CO to poison the catalyst, and that is by product during steam reformation.

There is a third benefit. If we move away from fossil fuels, we'll need hydrogen for fertilizer.

No, it doesn't, but it does make it less costly to truly sequester than separating and collecting the CO2 from the exhaust of a natural gas power plant.

 

Well that's not really the problem ...probably only a small commercial food need for CO2 compared to what is being made.