SBIR Phase I: Methane Pyrolysis for High Quality Carbon Black and Low-carbon Hydrogen Production

SBIR第一期：甲烷热解生产高品质炭黑和低碳氢气

• 批准号: 2151707
• 负责人: Benjamin Rush
• 金额: $ 25.6万
• 依托单位: MOLTEN INDUSTRIES INC.
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2023
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2023-04-01 至 2024-03-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2151707&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: SBIR; Phase; Methane; Pyrolysis; Quality

The broader impact/commercial potential of this Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project is to provide low-cost hydrogen (H2) with a very low or even negative carbon dioxide (CO2) footprint at a commercial production cost reaching $1.50 per kg of H2 alongside a valuable solid carbon by-product, representing a technology advance for the American public and economy. The United States produces 10 million metric tons of hydrogen per year - 95% of it via steam methane reforming (SMR). SMR emits 100 million tons of CO2 in the process. This represents a $10 billion market in the US alone and an important opportunity to reduce CO2 emissions. Methane pyrolysis promises green hydrogen with 5 times less energy than water electrolysis at costs competitive with steam methane reforming by producing solid carbon instead of gaseous carbon dioxide. The solid carbon, if produced correctly, can be used in tires, batteries, and concrete. The research in this project could increase the value of the solid carbon by-product produced alongside clean hydrogen in methane pyrolysis. If successful, this technology could lead to expanded domestic production capabilities with net-zero emissions from sectors such as fertilizer, transportation (batteries, fuel cells, synthetic fuels, and tires), and heavy industry (steel and cement).This SBIR Phase I project proposes to develop a novel method to tune the production of high-quality solid carbon using methane pyrolysis. Carbon black forms in pyrolysis reactors both homogeneously in the gas phase and heterogeneously on catalysts, reactor walls, and on seed particles entrained in the gas. By tuning temperature, residence time, flow profile, and seed materials, this project will result in an improved understanding of carbon precipitation and formation in methane pyrolysis reactors. This improved understanding and the development of a reactor thermochemical model will ultimately lead to better control of a process to produce high quality solid carbon that can be used in tires, batteries, and concrete.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

该小企业创新研究 (SBIR) 第一阶段项目的更广泛影响/商业潜力是提供低成本氢气 (H2)，其二氧化碳 (CO2) 足迹非常低甚至为负，商业生产成本达到每公斤 1.50 美元氢气以及有价值的固体碳副产品，代表了美国公共和经济的技术进步。美国每年生产 1000 万吨氢气，其中 95% 通过蒸汽甲烷重整 (SMR) 生产。 SMR在此过程中排放了1亿吨二氧化碳。这代表着仅在美国就有 100 亿美元的市场，也是减少二氧化碳排放的重要机会。甲烷热解通过产生固体碳而不是气态二氧化碳，有望实现绿色氢，其能源比水电解少 5 倍，其成本与蒸汽甲烷重整相比具有竞争力。如果生产正确，固体碳可用于轮胎、电池和混凝土。该项目的研究可以提高甲烷热解过程中与清洁氢气一起产生的固体碳副产品的价值。如果成功，这项技术可能会扩大国内生产能力，实现化肥、运输（电池、燃料电池、合成燃料和轮胎）和重工业（钢铁和水泥）等行业的净零排放。SBIR 第一阶段该项目建议开发一种新方法来调整利用甲烷热解生产高质量固体碳。炭黑在热解反应器中既均匀地在气相中形成，又不均匀地形成在催化剂、反应器壁和气体中夹带的晶种颗粒上。通过调整温度、停留时间、流动剖面和种子材料，该项目将加深对甲烷热解反应器中碳沉淀和形成的了解。这种对反应器热化学模型的深入理解和开发最终将导致更好地控制生产可用于轮胎、电池和混凝土的高质量固体碳的过程。该奖项反映了 NSF 的法定使命，并被认为是值得的通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估来提供支持。