Technology » Hydrogen Process

The first solar hydrogen generator is planned for the Fleet Street Landfill in Regina Saskatchewan, Canada . The Reformation process will be as follows:

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  1. Landfill gas, made up of mainly methane (CH4) and carbon dioxide (CO2), will be captured at the site.
  2. SHEC's partner, Clean 16 Environmental Technologies, will design the gas cleaning systems to prepare the feed gases for use in SHEC's solar hydrogen generator.
  3. The cleaned methane and carbon dioxide will be processed by SHEC's Dry Fuel Reformation (DFR) Process.
  4. Methane (CH4) and carbon dioxide (CO2) are fed into the first reactor that is heated by the solar mirror array and the methane is reformed into hydrogen gas (H2) and carbon monoxide (CO). The carbon monoxide is further reacted with water (H2O) in a second reactor, known as a Water Gas Shift Reactor (WGSR) to produce hydrogen and carbon dioxide as the final product gases.

 

 

Implications

The developed world is increasingly turning their attention to the reduction of greenhouse gases. On February 16, 2005 , the Kyoto Protocol became legally binding, and requires a 5.2% cut in greenhouse gas emissions below 1990 levels by 2012. Each country has been set its own individual targets according to their pollution levels. SHEC's technology could assist local Canadian governments in meeting their emission reduction requirements.

At full capacity, SHEC expects that a landfill project, such as the one in Regina , will prevent more than 1.6 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e) from entering the atmosphere over a twenty year period. This project, when completed can be duplicated all over the world, creating a significant reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, and an increase in available hydrogen for alternative energy consumption.