Page 4 - EurOil Week 37 2021

EurOil COMMENTARY EurOil

Wintershall Dea makes case for

turquoise hydrogen

Turquoise hydrogen has key advantages over blue hydrogen, but there are
also technological challenges to overcome

GERMANY MANY players in the natural gas industry are how much CO2 from reforming can be captured.
looking at blue hydrogen, produced from gas However, relatively few organisations
WHAT: using steam reforming, as the main means of worldwide are researching pyrolysis. And the
Wintershall Dea has decarbonising the energy they produce. But Ger- oil and gas industry has focused a lot more on
called on Germany to many’s Wintershall Dea is pursuing a different blue rather than turquoise hydrogen, as steam
recognise the value route: turquoise hydrogen. reforming is already a process commonly used
of turquoise hydrogen Like blue hydrogen, turquoise hydrogen at refineries. They would rather add carbon cap-
as a means of cutting is produced from natural gas. But instead ture and storage (CCS) to their existing facilities
emissions. of reforming, a more experimental method rather than invest in completely new systems to
called methane pyrolysis is deployed. Pyrol- undertake pyrolysis.
WHY: ysis’ main edge is that it produces solid rather Overall pyrolysis costs are also higher,
Germany’s hydrogen than gaseous carbon, and this can more easily although proponents express confidence that
strategy is heavily be stored or alternatively used as a valuable that will change over time, provided that the
skewed towards green raw material in various industries. The CO2 technology receives sufficient interest and sup-
hydrogen, leaving blue from reforming meanwhile must be captured port. And technological challenges remain with
and turquoise hydrogen and transported, usually to offshore sites, and producing sufficient quantities of pure hydrogen
by the way side. then pumped into deep underground struc- and separating out all the solid carbon.
tures for storage for hundreds of years, at con-
WHAT NEXT: siderable cost. Technology-open approach
A change in government Pyrolysis has other advantages. It can be Undeterred, Wintershall Dea is keen to make
after the parliamentary undertaken at a much smaller scale than reform- the case for pyrolysis and turquoise hydrogen
elections later this month ing, with the process requiring much less energy as a vital tool for decarbonising difficult to abate
could result in a shift in input and no water. Proponents also say it is industries. Unfortunately this enthusiasm is
Berlin’s position. cleaner than reforming, provided that renewable not shared by the German government, which
energy powers the process, as there are limits to views both blue and turquoise hydrogen as

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