Chapter 3
Fossil Hydrocarbon Decarbonization
and Nanotechnology
3.1 Fossil Hydrocarbon Decarbonization
Sustainable hydrogen can be produced from a variety of substances other than water
such as fossil fuels (natural gas, oil derivatives, coal, and other hydrocarbons) [1].
Fossil fuels can serve as the source of sustainable hydrogen because of their price,
availability, and convenience in transportation and storage. Carbon and hydrogen are
the major constituents of the hydrocarbons, and hence serve as the promising raw
material for the generation of hydrogen. Hydrogen can be generated by a variety
of different methods from hydrocarbons and their derivatives. These processes are
commonly termed as fossil hydrocarbon decarbonization. Some of the commercially
employed fossil hydrocarbon decarbonization methods are discussed below.
Steam reforming of natural gas is the most effective and the commonly employed
method for the generation of hydrogen. This process involves the catalytic conversion
of methane (which is a chief constituent of the hydrocarbon feed) and water (steam)
into the oxides of carbon and hydrogen. This process is generally operated at very
high pressure (35 atm) and temperature (850–950 °C). The chemical reaction for the
process can be given as.
CH 4 + 2H 2 O → 4H 2 + CO 2 + energy.
Another important method for hydrogen generation from fossil hydrocarbons is
partial oxidation. In partial oxidation, oxygen, fuel, and sometimes steam are mixed
in fixed ratios which result in the conversion of fuel into a mixture of oxides of carbon
and hydrogen. The partial oxidation of hydrocarbons is used with several alterations
depending on the type of composition of the substrate fossil hydrocarbons. The
overall process is exothermic, and the reaction can proceed with or without catalysts.
In the presence of catalyst, this reaction proceeds at lower temperatures (600–900 °C),
whereas in the absence of the catalyst the reaction requires very high temperature
(1100–1500 °C) to proceed along with the production of high molecular weight coal
© The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive license
to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2021
S. Farrukh et al., Nanotechnology and the Generation of Sustainable Hydrogen,
Green Energy and Technology, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-60402-8_3
25
Fossil Hydrocarbon Decarbonization
and Nanotechnology
3.1 Fossil Hydrocarbon Decarbonization
Sustainable hydrogen can be produced from a variety of substances other than water
such as fossil fuels (natural gas, oil derivatives, coal, and other hydrocarbons) [1].
Fossil fuels can serve as the source of sustainable hydrogen because of their price,
availability, and convenience in transportation and storage. Carbon and hydrogen are
the major constituents of the hydrocarbons, and hence serve as the promising raw
material for the generation of hydrogen. Hydrogen can be generated by a variety
of different methods from hydrocarbons and their derivatives. These processes are
commonly termed as fossil hydrocarbon decarbonization. Some of the commercially
employed fossil hydrocarbon decarbonization methods are discussed below.
Steam reforming of natural gas is the most effective and the commonly employed
method for the generation of hydrogen. This process involves the catalytic conversion
of methane (which is a chief constituent of the hydrocarbon feed) and water (steam)
into the oxides of carbon and hydrogen. This process is generally operated at very
high pressure (35 atm) and temperature (850–950 °C). The chemical reaction for the
process can be given as.
CH 4 + 2H 2 O → 4H 2 + CO 2 + energy.
Another important method for hydrogen generation from fossil hydrocarbons is
partial oxidation. In partial oxidation, oxygen, fuel, and sometimes steam are mixed
in fixed ratios which result in the conversion of fuel into a mixture of oxides of carbon
and hydrogen. The partial oxidation of hydrocarbons is used with several alterations
depending on the type of composition of the substrate fossil hydrocarbons. The
overall process is exothermic, and the reaction can proceed with or without catalysts.
In the presence of catalyst, this reaction proceeds at lower temperatures (600–900 °C),
whereas in the absence of the catalyst the reaction requires very high temperature
(1100–1500 °C) to proceed along with the production of high molecular weight coal
© The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive license
to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2021
S. Farrukh et al., Nanotechnology and the Generation of Sustainable Hydrogen,
Green Energy and Technology, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-60402-8_3
25