Low cost catalytic conversion of methane to high purity hydrogen for use in the Foundation Industries

Super-strong, lightweight, and with thermal and electrical conductivity, carbon nanotubes have the potential to transform industries including transport, healthcare and technology. Advanced materials manufacturer Q-Flo Ltd has developed technology to create ‘mats’ of these carbon nanotubes (known as Torstran) through the catalytic conversion of methane gas.

As part of the Torstan process, hydrogen is produced as a by-product. Hydrogen is used as a process gas in float glass manufacturing, so, with funding from the Transforming Foundation Industries (TFI) challenge, Q-Flo Ltd explored the potential for maximising capture and purification of this hydrogen for use in glass production.

“Methane is a huge problem for industry. It’s 25 times more potent than carbon dioxide as a greenhouse gas, so being able to transform it into a valuable product has both economic and environmental benefits,” explains Dr Martin Pick, project lead and Chief Operating Officer of Q-Flo Ltd. “It creates an industrial symbiosis that not only sequesters carbon but creates a high-value, versatile product, plus a low-cost, low-carbon source of hydrogen for the glass industry.”

The project team worked with glass innovation centre Glass Futures and process engineers Accelyo to explore how the bulk chemicals and glass industries could work together. “The process requires methane, together with catalyst particles iron and sulphur, to be heated in a furnace to form carbon nanotubes. Float glass furnaces run at around 1400-1500°C and ours run at 1250 °C, so as part of the project we looked at how to capture and use waste heat from glass manufacturing. This has the additional benefit of further reducing the environmental impact of both production processes,” says Martin.

Asian worker operating a gas tank in a factory

The project demonstrated methane from landfill and biofuels could be utilised successfully in Torstran production. In future, the Q-Flo team believe emissions from Foundation Industries may also be used. “Currently 80% of glass manufacturing emissions come from the powering of the furnaces. We could capture that carbon and instead of releasing it into the atmosphere it could be used to produce Torstran. Thereby reducing overall emissions from glass manufacture and also meaning Torstran is manufactured with a carbon-captured base material,” explains Chief Technical Officer at Q-Flo Ltd Liron Ismann.

“Co-locating Torstran manufacturing plants with glass or other Foundation Industries could provide an effective way of cleaning up their emissions, as well as reducing the carbon footprint associated with their consumption of pure hydrogen as a process gas.”

Alongside the TFI project, Q-Flo Ltd has been developing numerous patented applications for Torstran – including virus filtration and decontamination, and electromagnetic shielding for use in electric vehicles – which demonstrate its huge potential to industry.

The advanced, carbon-neutral material also offers competitive and environmental advantages over other carbon materials and processes. Carbon fibre, for example, creates around 25 tonnes of carbon dioxide for every tonne produced, and while other methane reclamation processes exist, they produce waste carbon dioxide.

“Co-locating Torstran manufacturing plants with glass or other Foundation Industries could provide an effective way of cleaning up their emissions, as well as reducing the carbon footprint associated with their consumption of pure hydrogen as a process gas.”

Pressure and temperature sensors on the pipeline

The next step is to scale production with a manufacturing plant that produces 1000 tonnes of Torstran per year by 2035 and employs 500 people. “The project has given us the data and knowledge to demonstrate flexibility of methane source, use of waste heat, and a design for scaled production that will bring down the unit cost of Torstran from £100s/kg to £10s/kg,” says Martin.

“Investment in a manufacturing plant would bring significant benefits to the UK. This technology leads the way in common resource utilisation, facilitates the goal of a Net Zero economy, and offers first-mover advantage to manufacturing and development companies seeking to utilise high-performance carbon-based materials. It’s truly at the forefront of green industry.”

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