Optimization of a novel hydrogen production process integrating biomass and sorption-enhanced reforming for reduced CO 2 emissions

Recently, there has been a growing demand for clean and sustainable energy sources to bridge the energy gap. Hydrogen has emerged as an attractive and environmentally friendly energy carrier due to its potential for high energy efficiency and minimal pollution generation, making it a promising alternative to fossil fuels. This study proposes and investigates a novel coupled process that utilizes chemical looping technologies for hydrogen production, simultaneously utilizing natural gas and biomass as feedstocks. The primary objective of this research is to develop a process model that maximizes hydrogen production while minimizing carbon dioxide emissions. Aspen Plus version 10 was employed to simulate and analyze the proposed process configuration to achieve this. One of the proposed process's key advantages is its competitiveness compared to conventional steam methane reforming (SMR) processes, which are widely used in industry. The novel process offers significant benefits, such as enhanced hydrogen purity and reduced CO 2 content in the product gas. The simulation results obtained from Aspen Plus reveal the successful production of highly pure hydrogen with a molar ratio of H 2 /CO equal to 268 and syngas with a molar ratio of H 2 /CO approximately equal to 1. Additionally, the process demonstrates the capability to produce highly high-purity hydrogen with a molar ratio of H 2 /CO equal to 155,000 in three-section reactors.