Texas-based Utility Global says onsite hydrogen production using industrial off-gases is a commercially viable solution for steelmakers, Kallanish reports.
The company has claimed an industry milestone with the successful implementation of a system that can produce clean hydrogen from water without the need for electricity. Its so-called H2Gen system has produced, for the first time in the world, hydrogen using gas from a blast furnace.
Hydrogen is expected to play a promising role in the decarbonisation of steelmaking. However, its high production costs and bottlenecks around renewable energy supply are becoming impending hurdles to its application.
“Our successful deployment of H2Gen at a major steel plant [in North America] proves we can deliver scalable, economic, clean hydrogen solutions that seamlessly integrate with existing infrastructure and assets,” Utility ceo Parker Meeks states. “H2Gen is the only commercially viable solution for producing clean hydrogen in hard-to-abate industries like steelmaking.”
Pilot plant testing for H2Gen started in 2022 in Houston, delivering 99% pure hydrogen with a 99.7% operational uptime. The commercial-scale demonstration at the steel plant ran for over 3,000 hours, but details on hydrogen purity and production capacity were not disclosed.
According to Utility’s website, its technology combines electrochemical and chemical processes based on a solid oxide-based system. Its gas production is based on two streams, which are separated by an impermeable electrolyte, and counter-exchange of oxygen ions and electrons. One stream undergoes reduction whilst the other undergoes oxidation. Electrons flow from the anode to the cathode, forming hydrogen at the cathode, the company explains.
“Unlike traditional fuel cells or electrolysers, no current is extracted or delivered to the reactor to drive the process,” it adds, noting an immediate economic benefit. Further cost reductions come from its scalability, relatively small size, and simplicity – without the need for additional infrastructure.
