Japan Project Blue Hydrogen, Aiming World’s 1st Hydrogen Economy

What is hydrogen fuel?

Hydrogen is being considered as an alternative to coal and petroleum in the energy industry. It is three times more efficient than petroleum. 96 percent of the hydrogen fuel used in the world is made using fossil fuels, including coal or natural gas. Through this process, fossil fuels are combined with steam and heated up to 800°C. Then, we end up with carbon dioxide (CO2) and hydrogen. Then, these gases get separated. CO2 is released into the air where it contributes to global warming. Hydrogen can be stored in the form of fuel, and it is utilized for energy for everything from cars to boilers.

When hydrogen is utilized as fuel, its combustion is not a cause of any pollutant. Yet, it is considered to be a gray fuel because of the extensive use of fossil fuels during the manufacturing process. The most common method of making hydrogen is to decompose water to get rid of the hydrogen. However, fossil fuels are utilized for this procedure. This is how gray hydrogen is created. If carbon is captured when making hydrogen using this method, it’s called blue hydrogen. However, this process is costly, which means the likelihood of its implementation is low.

Japan working and investing billions $ on blue hydrogen project

Japan is currently working to explore the potential in Blue Hydrogen amidst the campaign to protect the environment and resources across the globe. We will tell you that today electricity is generated using the coal mines in Japan. Japan is looking to switch to burning ammonia or hydrogen to supply its electricity requirements. Japan and Australia began a project in collaboration to transform brown coal in Victoria. In this project, hydrogen is liquefied to below 253C. It is transported to Japan on a specially designed ship.

Old coal mines can be converted to burning hydrogen or ammonia. This will produce carbon dioxide. This is the best option. However, the Japanese government’s ambitions go beyond the scope. It is aiming to be the first “hydrogen economy” in the world’.

What hydrogen sources are there that can meet the demands for the Japanese Zero Carbon Society to meet this goal? The answer is thought of as blue hydrogen. Green Hydrogen can be obtained made by distilling hydrogen from water by using renewable energy sources, however, it’s expensive. The majority of hydrogen produced today comes from natural gas or coal. It’s cheap; however, it also releases a lot of carbon dioxide. But, if you manage these greenhouse gases and then put them in the ground it’s referred to as “blue hydrogen”.

Japan’s gas-powered power plant is under pressure rather than nuclear power stations. Instead of closing the old coal-powered plants and converting them to renewable energy sources, Japan would like to move to burn ammonia or hydrogen to supply its electricity requirements.

The process of producing blue hydrogen takes a significant amount of energy. When you begin this process every unit of energy contained in natural gas, just 70-75 percent can be stored within blue hydrogen. If blue hydrogen was utilized to be used to heat something, you’ll need to utilize 25 percent more natural gas to create blue hydrogen than using it to heat the object directly.

What are the Different Forms of Hydrogen Fuel?

• Grey hydrogen is the most popular form of hydrogen fuel. It’s made from natural gas, which is composed of methane, ethane, as well as fossil fuels.
• Green Hydrogen, a potent fuel with no emissions. It can run heavy machinery that is unable to be powered by wind and solar energy. The carbon-free fuel will be constructed by combining water. To make this happen oxygen and hydrogen molecules are separated from electricity produced from renewable sources of energy. It provides more than three times as much energy as compared to the common fuel. The city of ‘Neom is about to begin construction in the Red Sea side of the desert of Saudi Arabia. The city that is planned to be built at the cost of $500 billion will include flying automobiles. Green hydrogen will be the fuel.
• Brown hydrogen is made by using oil or lignite coal.
• Black hydrogen is created with low bituminous coke which is a substance that resembles tar.
• Blue hydrogen is generated through the reaction between steam and methane. The carbon emissions from this process get kept and stored.

The process of producing green hydrogen involves the separation of water into oxygen and hydrogen by using a carbon-free energy source, such as that produced by solar panels or wind turbines the process of making green hydrogen is carbon-neutral. But it is expensive and expected to continue to be so until 2030. Blue hydrogen is distinct from all of this. Blue hydrogen is produced through the same process that is that produces brown, grey, and black hydrogen. However, the CO2 normally discharged is stored inside the blue hydrogen case as well as stored underground.

Blue hydrogen is now less expensive and utilizes well-established technology, which aids to build the value chain, and could aid in reducing emissions quicker. This also means that there will be a demand for green hydrogen when it is priced competitively.