Sumitomo Chemical and Microwave Chemical to Jointly Develop Energy-Saving and Highly Efficient Hydrogen Production Process to Help Achieve Carbon Neutrality by 2050

Feb. 21, 2022

Sumitomo Chemical Co., Ltd.
Microwave Chemical Co., Ltd.

Sumitomo Chemical Co., Ltd. and Microwave Chemical Co., Ltd. have started joint development of a process to produce hydrogen by pyrolyzing methane through the use of microwaves, aiming to begin commercial production in the early 2030s, with a capacity of several tens of thousands of tons per year.

Hydrogen is used as a raw material for a range of chemical products, including synthetic resins and organic compounds, and is also attracting much attention as one of the next-generation energy sources for the realization of a carbon-neutral society because it emits no carbon dioxide (CO₂) when combusted. The hydrogen obtained by the pyrolysis of methane, a greenhouse gas (GHG), is known as turquoise hydrogen*. One advantage of this pyrolysis process is that it simultaneously yields valuable solid carbons, such as carbon black and carbon nanotubes. On the other hand, the methane pyrolysis reaction requires a large amount of heat, making the reduction of energy used in production a major challenge.

A microwave, a type of electromagnetic wave, can directly and selectively heat objects in a reactor from their inside by rotating their molecules and atoms. Compared to other processes that indirectly heat objects in a reactor from their outside, the pyrolysis process using microwaves has greater potential to reduce the energy required to produce hydrogen, as well as CO₂ emissions, while also offering higher scalability for commercial production. This joint development aims to establish an energy-saving and highly efficient hydrogen production process by 2026 by combining Sumitomo Chemical's catalyst and chemical process design technology with Microwave Chemical's microwave platform technology. The two companies have already started laboratory-scale experiments at Microwave Chemical.

Committed to its grand design for carbon neutrality in 2050 announced in December 2021, Sumitomo Chemical is striving to fulfill its obligation to reduce the GHG emissions from the Group to near zero and its contribution to driving carbon neutrality across society through the Group’s products and technologies, by utilizing the technology and expertise that it has accumulated as a diversified chemical company. Sumitomo Chemical will continue to accelerate its research and development efforts, actively leveraging external technologies by partnering with academia and start-up companies.

Microwave Chemical is advancing its "C NEUTRAL^TM 2050 design" initiative toward achieving carbon neutrality, aiming to reduce CO₂ emissions by more than 90% compared to conventional processes that use fossil resources by combining electrification using renewable energy with microwave processes. Microwave Chemical is a leader in the effort to replace conventional petrochemical processes, which entail a large amount of CO₂ emissions and energy consumption, with microwave processes.

Sumitomo Chemical and Microwave Chemical will contribute to achieving a carbon-neutral society by establishing an innovative hydrogen production process.

* Although it uses a fossil resource (methane) as a raw material, the hydrogen obtained by the pyrolysis of methane is positioned between green and blue hydrogen because methane pyrolysis, as with water electrolysis, does not emit CO₂.

Category	Characteristics
Green hydrogen	Hydrogen produced by water electrolysis using renewable energy
Turquoise hydrogen	Hydrogen produced by methane pyrolysis, with solid carbons generated as byproducts
Blue hydrogen	Hydrogen produced using carbon capture and storage (CCS) processes, mainly CCS processes for CO2 generated in the production of gray hydrogen described below
Gray hydrogen	Hydrogen produced from fossil resources, mainly hydrogen generated in steam reforming of natural gas, accompanied by atmospheric emissions of byproduct CO2

Reference: “The National Hydrogen Strategy,” the government of Germany

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