Taiwan-based gas producer Linde LienHwa is heavily invested in hydrogen that is the eco-friendly energy currently under the spotlight, and claims that its steam methane reforming (SMR) method is the eco-friendliest and energy conserving hydrogen production process, which also captures more than 97-99% of carbon dioxide while producing high purity hydrogen.
The current power supply system of Taiwan relies on large coal-fired and natural gas plants, with renewable energy merely occupying 6% of the total power consumption. The elevation of renewable energy has been the priority of various sectors, and Linde LienHwa also continues to invest in environmental topics amidst the critical responses of zero carbon emission. Hydrogen is often used in electronic processing to provide a reducing environment, especially in processes of high temperature, where it is also used as a carrier gas in film preparation or modification procedures such as chemical doping, which makes it one of the most critical components for semiconductor suppliers.
Linde LienHwa had established the first set of “water electrolysis” hydrogen production equipment at its Dadu plant in Taichung in 1978 for actual production, though the company discovered that the particular production method consumed a sizeable degree of electricity, which does not conform to its eco-friendly spirit, and transitioned to the SMR process straight afterwards.
The key component of Linde LienHwa’s SMR process lies on the carbon capture and storage (CCS) technology, which is also referred to as blue hydrogen. Linde LienHwa is able to capture 97-99% of carbon dioxide during the specific hydrogen production method, which is compressed and condensed, before it is stored.
The CCS technology of Linde LienHwa reduces a level of carbon that is equivalent to 6 hectares of afforestation each day, and the SMR hydrogen production process of the company throughout Taiwan captures approximately 60 tons of carbon dioxide everyday, which is then recycled and reused as carbon dioxide products after compression and condensation. In other words, the carbon emission reduced by the CCS technology of Linde LienHwa equals the carbon sequestration of 6 hectares of woodlands each day.
When incorporating the carbon emission of TPC in power supply into the calculation, each m³ of hydrogen produced from the SMR process and CCS technology of Linde LienHwa equals 0.8kg of carbon dioxide derived from TPC. In comparison, each m³ of hydrogen produced from the “water electrolysis” method that consumers a high level of power equals 2.5kg of carbon dioxide derived from TPC.
A senior consultant of Linde LienHwa commented that the actual carbon emission of water electrolysis through the power supply of TPC is 3.1 times the SMR process of Linde LienHwa using the power supply of TPC since the current power generation ratio from renewable energy is merely 5.8% in Taiwan; the senior consultant added that the existing operators of hydrogen production using water electrolysis are focused on fossil fuel power plants as the source of power, thus the target of carbon reduction has yet to be achieved.
(Cover photo source: Linde LienHwa)