Hycamite: sustainably-produced European hydrogen results in security of supply

In the future, Europe will produce its hydrogen both without emissions and with minimal use of natural gas from outside Europe. Until now, hydrogen has been produced in Europe mainly by extracting the hydrogen from methane in natural gas, while the carbon has been released into the atmosphere in the form of carbon dioxide (CO₂), adding to the problem of rising temperatures. New environmentally-sustainable technology to produce hydrogen technology is currently being researched and introduced.

In the future, hydrogen will be produced largely either from water, through electrolysis, or by extracting carbon from methane in solid form for other use, or by storing CO₂ extracted during the production of hydrogen underground. Electricity is produced without CO₂ emissions, using wind, solar, hydroelectric power, and in many countries also with nuclear power. Meanwhile, in addition to natural gas, sources of methane can include local biogas, whose production is growing rapidly.

Another method is the extraction and production of hydrogen from the side streams of local industrial processes. In the future, we will be able to make better use of this hydrogen, and the methane that is produced as a byproduct of hydrogen production. Approximately one-third of the world's production of hydrogen is currently produced as a byproduct of a process in which the product is something other than hydrogen.

Pure hydrogen first for present use

Our most urgent need is for hydrogen that is produced locally and without emissions to meet our current hydrogen needs. The EU currently uses about 9.7 million tpy of hydrogen, and this production is the first that must be made emission-free.

Most of the hydrogen is currently used in oil refining and in the chemical industry. Hydrogen and products refined from hydrogen are used in the production of fertilizers, among other things. Ammonia, which is produced using nitrogen and hydrogen, is used in the manufacture of fertilizers – and this is where the public at large in many parts of the world have encountered problems involving Russia and security of supply. Now that the problems connected with Russian natural gas have led to shortages of ammonia and other key ingredients, fertilizer manufacturers around Europe have had to raise their prices sharply. Hydrogen produced completely out of foreign raw materials makes even local food more expensive. Hydrogen produced locally without emissions would therefore help prevent food prices from rising too much, which would be of great significance, especially for those with low incomes.

Hydrogen also for new production sectors

We can make especially significant improvements in our security of supply and reduce emissions when European hydrogen becomes available in new sectors of industry. The steel industry is a good example of this. The steel industry now produces an estimated 7% of the world's CO₂ emissions, because steel reduction currently takes place with the help of coal, and a significant portion of the coal used in Europe is imported from Russia, which is problematic for security of supply.

The Nordic steel giant SSAB decided earlier in 2022 to switch the entire Nordic steel industry to use locally-produced hydrogen instead of coal in this decade. Several other projects are also pending around Europe aimed at getting the steel industry to shift to using hydrogen. The use of hydrogen will significantly increase the security of supply of the European steel industry, reducing emissions, and enabling the production of better value added for companies.

Fuel can be synthesised

Fuels that we normally use can also be manufactured from hydrogen, which would significantly improve our self-sufficiency. This can be done by combining hydrogen with CO₂ sequestered from combustion gases from factories.

All common fossil fuels are hydrocarbons, whose molecules comprise atoms of hydrogen and carbon. For this reason, we can produce fuels ourselves that are identical to the ones that we refine from fossil-based raw materials that come from below ground level and that we buy from other countries. We can store and use synthetic fuels just like their fossil-based equivalents, which is a massive cost benefit.

For now, the price difference compared with traditional fossil fuels is significant, but the gap is narrowing constantly. New projects are already getting started. In Sweden, for example, Vattenfall, SAS, Shell and LanzaTech said six months ago that they were looking into the possibility of extensive production of sustainable synthetic aviation fuel.

BotH2nia – hydrogen collaboration in the Baltic Sea area

The move to hydrogen at SSAB, which is to be implemented as a joint-Nordic project, is a good example of how the shift to using hydrogen can best succeed in Europe when the matter is promoted together, across national borders. For this reason, Swedish and Finnish hydrogen actors are currently working together in the BotH2nia network, and newcomers will later be accepted from the Baltic countries as well. There is more to win in the world's shift to hydrogen everybody works together. It is hoped that there will be similar regional cooperative networks soon in other parts of Europe.

Read the article online at: https://www.globalhydrogenreview.com/special-reports/25042022/hycamite-sustainably-produced-european-hydrogen-results-in-security-of-supply/