BASF and ExxonMobil’s new partnership aims to revolutionise low-emission hydrogen production

BASF and ExxonMobil have recently kicked off a strategic partnership focused on advancing methane pyrolysis technology. It’s a pretty significant move in the ongoing efforts to develop low-emission hydrogen solutions, especially for industrial use. Their joint venture is aimed at blending BASF’s innovative reactor designs with ExxonMobil’s vast experience in scaling up industrial processes, showing they’re both pretty committed to delivering affordable, environmentally friendly hydrogen production.

Now, methane pyrolysis is seen as a pretty promising alternative to the traditional methods of making hydrogen, like steam-methane reforming, which, as many know, releases a lot of CO₂. Unlike those conventional techniques, this process uses electricity to crack natural gas or bio-methane into hydrogen and solid carbon, without generating the typical CO₂ emissions during the process. That’s a pretty big advantage, especially in regions where sufficient carbon capture and storage (CCS) options are hard to come by, whether due to geology, technical challenges, or political barriers.

Mike Zamora, who heads up ExxonMobil’s Technology and Engineering Company, pointed out during the announcement that this collaboration leverages decades of ExxonMobil’s expertise with methane pyrolysis. He also stressed that the technology could work well in places where CCS isn’t particularly feasible, which seems like a smart approach when considering regional and global decarbonisation strategies.

BASF has been working on methane pyrolysis for over ten years now, and they’ve been supported by funding from Germany’s Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space, aka BMFTR. Dr. Stephan Kothrade, BASF’s CTO, mentioned that their reactor concept has already been tested successfully at a plant in Ludwigshafen, Germany. He expressed confidence that combining BASF’s process innovations with ExxonMobil’s ability to scale up will help speed up the path toward making this technology economically viable for industrial use.

One of the main benefits of methane pyrolysis is its energy efficiency. It takes about five times less electricity than water electrolysis to produce hydrogen, and it doesn’t use water at all. That’s especially crucial in regions like some parts of the UAE, where water scarcity is a real and pressing issue. Plus, the fact that it can utilize existing natural gas infrastructure means that deploying it across different areas could be relatively straightforward, no need to overhaul entire systems.

Besides producing hydrogen, the process yields high-purity solid carbon, which has a wide range of industrial uses. This includes raw materials for steel and aluminum manufacturing, construction, and even advanced materials like those used in batteries. So, the whole process isn’t just about hydrogen, there’s a lot of potential for economic and environmental benefits from this multi-product approach, making it a more attractive option overall.

To push things forward and prove the technology at scale, BASF and ExxonMobil are planning to build a demonstration plant at ExxonMobil’s Baytown Complex in Texas. This facility should produce up to 2,000 tonnes of low-emission hydrogen and about 6,000 tonnes of solid carbon each year. It’ll be a crucial step for collecting real-world data and gaining operational insights that could pave the way for larger-scale deployment in the future.

The Baytown site already has a reputation for being a hub of innovation in hydrogen technologies. For example, ExxonMobil has been testing next-generation burners capable of burning on up to 100% hydrogen fuel right there, at the Baytown Olefins Plant, no less. In fact, their pyrolysis burners have demonstrated a 90% reduction in direct CO₂ emissions. That’s pretty impressive and aligns closely with their broader strategy to decarbonize industrial processes. So, it makes sense that they’d choose this location for developing methane pyrolysis further.

What’s clear is that the partnership between BASF and ExxonMobil highlights a growing understanding in the energy and chemical sectors, diversifying hydrogen production methods is pretty much essential if we want to meet global decarbonisation goals. Industry watchers note that methane pyrolysis could be a solid complement to existing technologies like electrolysis and CCS, providing an additional pathway to low-emission hydrogen.

Worldwide, the hydrogen market’s expected to grow rapidly, driven by stronger policies targeting net-zero emissions and investments in green and blue hydrogen projects. Countries in the Gulf region and beyond are eager to make use of their natural gas resources while cutting their carbon footprints, and methane pyrolysis could be a key part of that mix, offering a balance of lower emissions, reasonable costs, and compatibility with current infrastructure.

Though this is still early days, mainly in the demonstration phase, the success of this project might influence how industries in places like the UAE approach hydrogen production. Producing hydrogen with minimal CO₂ emission and less reliance on water could really help support those regions’ broader climate ambitions, especially in sectors like chemicals, refining, and steel manufacturing.

All in all, the joint effort between BASF and ExxonMobil on methane pyrolysis is a meaningful step forward in developing low-emission hydrogen solutions. By combining innovation with the ability to scale up, they’re aiming to open up economically feasible options that can help accelerate global decarbonization. The upcoming demonstration plant at Baytown isn’t just a proof of concept; it could really set the stage for wider industrial adoption, offering valuable insights into the role methane pyrolysis might play in the evolving hydrogen economy.

Source: Noah Wire Services