Introduction
Conclusions
Syngas
Syngas is produced through steam reformation of methane. In fact, this is the most common way of producing hydrogen in today's economy. The combination of methane steam and oxygen leads to syngas, which consists of carbon monoxide and hydrogen gas.
>> How can this process be made more efficient?
If the carbon monoxide is combined with water, even more hydrogen can be extracted. Overall, this process yields four moles of hydrogen for each mole of methane. By weight, the yield is about 25% of the methane weight.
Another source of improvement is the need for pure oxygen. This requirement consists of about 40% of the total cost of hydrogen production. The incorporation of ceramic membranes which can allow partial oxidation of methane and extraction of oxygen from the air in separate chambers could substantially increase the cost efficiency of production.