Muhaimin Iqbal
Author

Introducing SolidGas

Advanced Renewable

Tue , 14 May 2024 12:38 WIB

In physics, we know several phases of matter, including solid, liquid and gas, each of which has its own character. In terms of logistics handling, for example, the three phases require very different facilities and infrastructure.

Sending LPG gas at normal temperatures, requires a pressure in the range of 20 Bar, natural gas requires 200 Bar and hydrogen even much higher, requires a pressure of 700 Bar. It is because of these logistical challenges that hydrogen gas is sold very expensively relative to the energy it carries.

Due to the high price of hydrogen, this very clean fuel is still difficult to market. Various parties have also developed what is called a hydrogen carrier. The form can be in gas form but at a lower pressure such as DME, or in liquid form such as methanol, ethanol and hydrocarbons. Some even store it in solid form, namely hydrogen is stored in magnesium in the form of MgH2.

The last method of storing hydrogen in MgH2 at first glance seems attractive, but is not yet effective due to the high weight of the carrier (Mg) itself. As a result, logistics will still be expensive because 1 ton of MgH2 can only deliver around 77 kg of H2. Sending MgH2 (filled) and Mg (empty) back and forth will also still be expensive because the carrier is much heavier than the H2 it carries.

It is from these various logistical problems that we at the Advanced Renewable Organization (ARO) are introducing new innovations in gas delivery, including hydrogen. We introduce this new innovation as SolidGas (Abbreviation for Solid, Liquid and Gas). The media we use for gas delivery is charcoal in pellet or powder form.

With this charcoal we can produce any gas in-situ and in-time, on the spot and at the time of use, so that in the logistics - storage and delivery - the gas is still 'stored' in solid form, namely the charcoal. Delivery is easy and low cost because even charcoal sent in bulk is still safe, charcoal is also disposable, no need for shipping back and forth.

Where the charcoal is to be used, we just need to place a reactor that suits our needs. If the gas will only be used for cooking or heating, then the reactor is simply a SmartTube. If gas is needed for electricity generation, heating, feedstocks for industry, etc., also to capture carbon emissions, then what is needed is an OCCYRE (Onboard Carbon Cycles for Regenerative Energy) reactor, which is also relatively simple.

If the gas needed is hydrogen, then we use a sophisticated reactor which we call XH2M (Extra High Hydrogen With Membrane). With XH2M, each ton of charcoal powder can deliver 330 kg of H2 gas, or 4 times more effective than other solid hydrogen carriers (MgH2). This innovation will be presented at the International Conference on Renewable Energy Gas Technology (REGATEC 2024), Lund, Sweden next week.