The Hydrogen Refinery patented Plasma Electrolysis System (PES) uses a low-energy microwave to induce a plasma between two electrodes that are slightly offset. This creates a controllable plasma swirl that can process mixed waste without a catalyst. Outputs from PES are either pure hydrogen or synthesis gas (syngas).
About 5kWh of electricity are used to produced 1 kg of hydrogen, which is 10% of the electricity used in water electrolysis.
PES is a thermodynamically favoured technology spontaneous in the forward direction that has been under development by the British military since 2003 and uses Artificial Intelligence (AI) to adjust real-time system performance to allow the processing of mixed and variable waste streams without a catalyst.
Plasma electrolysis works using high frequency electromagnetic microwaves to energise electrons in the feedstock material and promote collisions with other molecules, breaking them apart and generating more free electrons and positive ion radicals. This creates a cascade of reactions, which ensures a sustained plasma state as long as the microwave energy continues to be applied. This plasma “soup” of electrons and ions is not to be confused with plasma torches, which use plasma to create the reactor heat. In the microwave plasma method, the feedstock is the plasma, with most of the energy contained in the microwaves delivered directly to the electrons and ions of the feedstock material. As these excited electrons and ions exit the plasma region, they cool and combine to stable compounds, principally molecular hydrogen gas and solid carbon particles.
This is much more energy efficient than conventional pyrolysis, as the energy needed to break the bonds is transmitted directly to the molecules creating a localised plasma. The plasma is controlled to deal with variable inputs, so there is no need for a catalyst or to pre-sort the waste.
The instant start-up time means the Hydrogen Refinery system can operate effectively if the electricity is sourced from intermittent renewable sources.
The PES system:
Already tested with a range of heavy hydrocarbons including diesel, kerosene, Jet-A1, logistic fuels (F-76, F-44), gasoline, marine gas oil and natural gas. The skid mounted modular system designed to produce 1 tonne of hydrogen or syngas per day and to fit inside a 40 foot shipping container.
For a 100,000 tonne per annum e-fuel or e-fertilizer plant just 30x PES system would be required operating together.
All impurities in the waste stream are naturally separated in the plasma and emerge as a carbon soot or residue. This soot is a precursor for materials such as carbon black or a replacement for coal ash from use in the cement industry fro aggregates or bitumen. There are no gaseous carbon emissions from the process, the carbon is all captured in the carbon soot. Effectively carbon capture utilisation and storage (CCUS).
The only resource needed to run the PES system is electricity. No additional water, heat or natural gas are required. As the system provides a step-up in the waste hierarchy and a zero-emission alternative to incineration or landfill, the PES system is carbon negative.
Considerable useful waste heat is produced from the process that can be used in fertiliser production, or used to pre-process the carbon soot, or used to make electricity from a solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) for example.