Indirect electro-thermochemical

The indirect route produces hydrogen from water electrolyses using renewable electricity. This hydrogen can be used with carbon or nitrogen molecules from the air, biomass or pointsources into conventional thermochemical processes (e.g. Sabatier, (reverse) Water Gas Shift, FischerTropsch) to produce sustainable fuels or chemicals.

Research challenges

The TU Delft is focussing its research not on the separate processes of this route, but on the process integration either up- or downstream, and in more detail we research: 

  • Robust operation of the processes under intermittent conditions by imposing renewable electricity.
  • Full conversion aimed for by separation enhanced reaction schemes in order to prevent products and reactants to reside jointly in the lines during off-time. The advantage of this is that these schemes generally also enable processes at lower pressures and temperatures.
  • Using separation technology to tailor specific feed and product streams
  • Bi-functionality and mechanical strength of catalysts.

Goal

Develop A 100 kWthermal bench scale set-up of a Sabatier reactor integrated with a Circulating Fluidised Bed for continuous methane production from CO2 and H2.