Hydrogen production gets greener

MIT Technology Review : A new, more environmentally friendly process is being developed to produce hydrogen for fuel-cell vehicles. Because hydrogen gas does not occur naturally on Earth, it must be created, usually from methane or other fossil fuels. Conventional methods involve reacting the methane with oxygen or water, which results in hydrogen gas and carbon dioxide. Although hydrogen can be produced from methane without using oxygen, the process requires considerable energy and thus generates even more CO ₂. Now, chemical company BASF is working on a two-part project to reduce that carbon footprint: First, it proposes to recycle the heat within the system and thereby reduce the amount of energy needed. Second, it has developed novel catalysts to make useful products, such as other chemicals and fuels, from the carbon dioxide produced. BASF’s technique could also be used in other industrial processes that require a lot of hydrogen, like oil refining.