In the first step, an novel high-temperature technology will process natural gas to obtain hydrogen and carbon. Compared to other processes, this technology produces much less CO₂.

In a subsequent catalytic process step, the hydrogen is then reacted with large volumes of CO₂, also from other industrial processes, to produce syngas. A mixture of carbon monoxide and hydrogen, syngas is a key raw material for the chemical industry and is also suitable for producing fuels.

The German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) is granting a total of €9.2 million (US$12 million) to subsidize the project within its “Technologies for Sustainability and Climate Protection – Chemical Processes and Use of CO₂” scheme. The project started on 1 July 2013, and is expected to last three years.

Together with our project partners, we aim to develop a technology that will open up innovative ways of producing the basic key chemicals hydrogen and syngas on an industrial scale from natural gas, a resource that will be available for the long term. In hydrogen production alone, we expect CO₂ emissions to be about 50% lower than in current standard processes. At the same time, this process produces hydrogen at particularly competitive costs.

—Dr. Peter Schuhmacher, President, BASF SE Process Research & Chemical Engineering

The natural gas decomposition is achieved thermally only, without any addition of oxygen or water. This enables the production of hydrogen and solid carbon; the latter may potentially be used to replace hard coal in the coke and steel industries.

With the process operating at very high temperatures, the innovative reactor design ensures that the correspondingly large amounts of waste heat are recycled immediately into the process.

BASF is coordinating the joint project and, in cooperation with hte, carrying out the experimental research activities on gas decomposition and the catalyst development for the production of syngas. Based on this, the partners intend to develop a pilot plant design and a concept for integrating the innovative technology into existing chemical and steel-producing sites. The engineering responsibility lies with Linde and ThyssenKrupp Uhde. ThyssenKrupp Steel Europe and its subsidiary Kokereibetriebsgesellschaft Schwelgern (KBS) will perform the carbon conditioning and testing for steel industry use.