@pinhman @chris

#Methane #pyrolysis is the process in which thermal energy is applied to methane (CH₄) to break the chemical bond between carbon and hydrogen, generating hydrogen gas and a solid carbon product with no CO2 emissions.

The case for methane pyrolysis:

It’s less polluting than other large scale methods, and can be made with zero emissions. Hydrogen production comes classified in many colors, with each representing a different way the fuel is produced. Other methods, such as those used to produce Blue and Gray hydrogen, have significant drawbacks in that they produce as much as 10 times as much carbon dioxide as hydrogen in the manufacturing process. Although carbon capture can reduce these emissions, the technology is not available everywhere and significantly increases overall energy consumption.

For methane pyrolysis, the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory projects a decrease in carbon dioxide emissions by 85 percent or more (roughly 1.5kg CO2e/kg H2), depending on how the process is heated
— for example, burning some of the produced hydrogen, or using renewable electricity as a heat source, will result in zero emissions.

It’s less energy intensive than current methods, even green hydrogen. Although green hydrogen (where the fuel is produced using renewable electricity) has the potential to become a long-term solution, it must first represent a low product and transition cost for industry.

Green hydrogen also requires vast amounts of energy to conduct the electrolysis necessary to split water into hydrogen and oxygen. One methane pyrolysis method can produce hydrogen using eight times less energy than is used in green hydrogen. This is an important consideration when assessing energy needs and where renewable power should be deployed.

It's an efficient use for otherwise-polluting methane.
Methane currently accounts for roughly 20 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions, and although it is more short-lived in our atmosphere than carbon dioxide, its heating effects are 25 times more pronounced.

Methane capture from oil and gas sites, livestock farms, and landfills has not seen widespread adoption (but recent high natural gas prices have incentivized actors to consider capturing — and burning — methane).
By reconstituting this polluting gas into a useful hydrogen fuel, methane pyrolysis can both redirect methane away from the atmosphere and incentivize its capture for cleaner use.

It’s rampable/scalable with renewables.
If methane pyrolysis is generated using microwaves (see the Aurora Hydrogen case study) the hydrogen fuel can be generated immediately with no heat up/ramp up times, allowing it to scale with a future grid powered by intermittent renewable energy sources. This feature of microwave-enabled methane pyrolysis allows for reliable hydrogen generation on a future grid, as well as the potential to provide clean back up power generation should the need arise.

Its byproduct, carbon black, is a valuable product.
Methane pyrolysis produces two things: Hydrogen and a solid carbon product known as carbon black. Carbon black is widely used in manufacturing tires, plastics, mechanical rubber goods, printing inks, and toners. It also has strong insulative properties and is used to insulate wires and cables.  

The global market for carbon black is projected to grow from $13.22 billion in 2022 to $18.09 billion by 2029. The current source for carbon black is from the thermal decomposition of raw, heavy petroleum material, such as ethylene cracking, coal tar, or fluid catalytic cracking tar and has an emissions intensity of 3.3 kg CO2/kg of carbon black produced. This is more than double the projected emissions from methane pyrolysis.

Several pyrolysis companies also claim the ability to produce various forms of carbon nanotube products, which are of extreme value and offer diverse use cases across the electronics and chemical industries. The global carbon nanotubes market size was valued at $38.54 billion in 2022 and it is projected to be worth around $105 billion by 2030. 

https://www.third-derivative.org/blog/hydrogen-produced-from-methane-pyrolysis-key-considerations-for-investors