A Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) spin-out has removed hydrogen from sour gas waste streams at a pilot trial in the Permian Basin, US.
Californian-headquartered Thiozen said its in-field chemical cycle pilot unit successfully removed hydrogen sulphide from sour natural gas streams while also generating “zero-emission” hydrogen.
For the trial, the start-up partnered with oil and gas production firm A.C.T. Operating Company to install the technology at a gas-gathering site in the Permian Basin.
Sour gas is natural gas with measurable levels of hydrogen sulphide. Highly toxic and extremely flammable, it is typically found in oil and gas formations, requiring processing to separate it into usable elements.
Marshall Watson, President of A.C.T and Department Chair of Petroleum Engineering at Texas Tech University, said sour gas processing is a “major cost” in energy supply.
He said, “Both removing the hydrogen sulphide and producing a new energy stream in hydrogen gas is a major step up in our industry.”
The concentration of hydrogen in sour gas widely varies depending on the specific gas field or source.
Ryan Gillis, co-founder and President of Thiozen, said the company believes its solution could “transform the energy industry” by helping it meet both energy security and decarbonisation goals.
“We are proud to provide and entirely new method of producing hydrogen – one that will revolutionise the energy industry and spur the modern hydrogen economy,” Gillis said.
Analysis: Is natural hydrogen the next breakthrough or bust?
The next gold rush, a game-changer for decarbonisation and an underestimated resource: all terms used to describe natural hydrogen, which has grabbed an ever increasing number of headlines in recent months.
Formed by natural processes inside the Earth’s crust through processes such as serpentinisation and iron oxidation, natural hydrogen can accumulate in underground reservoirs. It has been coined as the climate solution under our feet and is capturing the minds of investors, entrepreneurs and policymakers alike, often touted as a low-cost, low-impact energy source.
While fossil fuel-based grey hydrogen costs less than $2/kg on average, many anticipate natural hydrogen costs, depending on deposit purity and depth, to be around $1/kg1.
Since 2021 a growing number of new natural hydrogen exploration ventures have been set up, but it has only been in recent months the natural energy carrier has received serious attention. Current exploration efforts are being undertaken in Australia, US, Spain, France, Albania, Colombia, South Korea and Canada.
Rystad Energy this month (March 2024) estimated 40 companies were searching for natural hydrogen deposits at the end of 2023, up from just 10 in 2020…
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