California-based Thiozen, a spin-off of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), has successfully produced clean hydrogen from sour gas waste streams at a pilot unit in the Permian Basin, US.
Believed to be a first, the effort removed hydrogen sulphide from the sour natural gas streams while simultaneously generating zero-emission hydrogen.
Thoizen partnered with Texas-based oil and gas production company A.C.T Operating Company for the pilot to install the technology at the gas gathering site.
Ryan Gillis, co-founder and President of Thiozen, said, “We are proud to provide an entirely new method of producing hydrogen – one that will revolutionise the energy industry and spur the modern hydrogen economy.”
Sour gas is natural gas that contains significant amounts of hydrogen sulphide. Sour gas is highly hazardous and must undergo a “sweetening” process (where the hydrogen sulphide is removed) to reduce its toxicity and corrosion potential.
Marshall Watson, President of A.C.T. Operating Company and Department Chair of Petroleum Engineering at Texas Tech University, commented, “Sour gas processing is a major cost associated with energy supply, and both removing the hydrogen sulphide and producing a new energy stream in hydrogen gas is a major step-up in our industry.”
Thoizen believes the process will reduce global greenhouse gas emissions by more than 300 million metric tonnes per year.
Additionally, the start-up says the technology will improve air quality and respiratory health in communities near the current hydrogen infrastructure while providing cost-sensitive firms with a path to procuring additional hydrogen.
The US Permian Basin has already been identified as a potential hot spot for blue hydrogen production, given its extensive oil and gas infrastructure, large volumes of natural gas production, and significant carbon capture and storage (CCS) potential.
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