LG Chem to produce and run NCC plant on hydrogen

Noh Kug-lae, head of Petrochemical Business at LG Chem said: “The establishment of our hydrogen plant and CO₂ circulation system is an effort to create a sustainable future for our petrochemical business by achieving carbon neutrality. Hydrogen will allow us to convert our petrochemical pyrolysis to a more sustainable low-carbon process.”

The new plant employs technology which converts methane to hydrogen by creating a chemical reaction under high-temperature steam. Hydrogen will be made from methane off-gases generated by the naphtha cracking center (NCC) in the process of producing feed-stocks. This hydrogen will then be depolymerised under high-temperatures to be used as fuel again.

Construction of LG Chem’s hydrogen plant is expected to commence in the first half of 2023 and scheduled for completion by the 2Q24. Once fully operational, LG Chem expects the plant to reduce carbon emissions by 140 000 t annually – equivalent to 1 million newly-planted trees – by replacing methane used in the NCC process with high-purity hydrogen, which does not create carbon dioxide during combustion.

The petrochemical industry produces base chemicals such as ethylene, propylene and butadiene which are made by breaking down naphtha at high temperatures. Methane is commonly used as a heat source for the NCC process which generates a large amount of carbon emissions.

The plant is a key component of LG Chem’s strategy to increase its use of renewable energy such as hydrogen in the NCC process by up to 70% by 2025, as well as to the company’s plans to actively utilise hydrogen in the production of renewable bio feedstocks such as hydro-treated vegetable oils. The construction of additional hydrogen plants will be considered in the future based on carbon reduction efficacy. Through these efforts, LG Chem is confident it can create a value chain in which CO₂ generated from the hydrogen production process is repurposed as a useful resource.

More than 90% of hydrogen in the Korean market is produced using the steam methane reforming process that extracts hydrogen from methane, which is composed of carbon mon-oxide and hydrogen. The resulting CO₂ off-gas has for long been viewed as an unwanted byproduct. The solution involves LG Chem joining hands with Taekyung Chemical, the largest carbonic acid gas producer in Korea using high-purity CO₂ as raw material.

Under the terms of the recently-signed Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), LG Chem will capture the CO₂ generated from producing hydrogen utilising a blue hydrogen production method for supply to Taekyung Chemical, creating a clean circular ecosystem in the process. Both LG Chem and Taekyung Chemical have pledged to work closely together to establish a seamless CO₂ supply system and various ways to utilise it in the long term.

For more news and technical articles from the global hydrogen sector, read the latest issue of Global Hydrogen Review magazine.

Global Hydrogen Review's Spring 2022 issue

The inaugural issue of Global Hydrogen Review is full of detailed technical articles and case studies exploring the entire spectrum of hydrogen production and its applications worldwide. This issue covers a range of topics including the current status of blue hydrogen, how cryogenic technology is helping to shape the energy transition, and integrity management of hydrogen pipelines. Other features include green hydrogen, simulation, transportation, compressor technology, and much more.

Read the article online at: https://www.globalhydrogenreview.com/hydrogen/20062022/lg-chem-to-produce-and-run-ncc-plant-on-hydrogen/