Hydrogen from Coal Research

[madokie]

Goal: By 2015, have ready to operate a zero emissions, high-efficiency co-production power plant that will produce hydrogen from coal along with electricity.

Partial oxidation of coal is a promising technology for the production of electric power and hydrogen that uses integrated gasification combined-cycle (IGCC) technology. There currently are no commercial demonstrations of these joint power and hydrogen plants, however. Partial oxidation, or gasification, combines coal, oxygen and steam to produce synthesis gas that is cleaned of impurities such as sulfur or mercury.

To produce hydrogen, this synthesis gas is further processed using mature water-gas shift reactor technology to increase hydrogen and convert carbon monoxide to carbon dioxide. Hydrogen is then separated using PSA technology. Hydrogen production from coal-derived synthesis gas essentially uses the same gasification process steps currently being developed in DOE's coal-based clean electric power generation program.

To reduce costs, novel and advanced technology must be developed in all phases of the gasification through hydrogen separation phases. Carbon dioxide produced in the hydrogen production process is separated and would be removed utilizing storage technology now being developed in DOE's carbon sequestration research program.

http://www.fe.doe.gov/programs/fuels/hydrogen/Hydrogen_from_Coal_R%26D.html

[eppur_se_muova]

1. *SIGH* It's not zero emissions if CO2 is produced ...

CO2 'sequestration' (really just storing it "out of sight, out of mind") is not going to be a permanent solution to anything. And you can't get energy from coal without burning the carbon to CO2.

If you want H2, make H2 from hydropower, nuclear, wind, solar; just don't make it from coal.