Decarbonized with coal?

The World's First Hydrogen Project Challenged by Japan and Australia April 28, 17:58

Cars and trains that run on hydrogen.

You hear it in the news, but don't you think it's a story of a distant world?

That should be it.

Hydrogen, which does not emit carbon dioxide during combustion or power generation, is attracting attention as a trump card for "decarbonization", but the current situation is that it is not widely used due to its high manufacturing cost.

The world's first project to overcome that challenge is underway between Japan and Australia.

The key is "coal".

(Sydney Bureau Chief Midori Aoki / Network News Department Reporter Risa Komiya)

Expected energy

The first thing that comes to mind when you hear hydrogen is the fuel cell vehicle that is already on the market.

In Germany, trains that use hydrogen as an energy source are running, and in Japan, JR East and others are planning to start running tests with hybrid vehicles equipped with fuel cells from next year.

On April 22, Toyota Motor announced that it would proceed with the development of a "hydrogen engine" that burns hydrogen to power it, in addition to the conventional fuel cell vehicles, aiming for mass production in the future.

Japan has set a new goal of reducing greenhouse gases by 46% toward 2030 compared to 2013, and the use of hydrogen is also expected.

Conventional hydrogen cost too high

However, the price of hydrogen is a major barrier to the realization of a “hydrogen society”.

Hydrogen currently on the market in Japan is made from natural gas in Japan.

It is said that hydrogen can be extracted relatively easily by chemically reacting the main components "methane (CH4)" and "water vapor (H2O)".

However, Iwatani Corp., which has high costs and has hydrogen stations nationwide, has set the selling price of hydrogen produced in Japan at about 100 yen per cubic meter.

In order to popularize hydrogen, the price is neglected for profitability, but when converted to the unit price of power generation, it is 52 yen per kilowatt, which is more expensive than general energy.

Furthermore, when hydrogen is produced, carbon dioxide is generated at the same time.

Attempting to prevent it from being released into the atmosphere is even more costly.

"Lignite", a low-quality resource that "sleeps"

How can we make cleaner and cheaper hydrogen?

The Japanese business alliance has noticed a coal called "brown coal" that sleeps abundantly in Victoria, southeastern Australia.

It's not very familiar, but as the name suggests, it's a kind of coal that is a little brownish, and it's cool and moist to the touch.

Since it contains a lot of water and impurities, it has not been traded internationally so far, and it is said that it is so cheap that it cannot be priced.

Demonstration experiment that started

In order to produce hydrogen from this lignite and transport it to Japan, a demonstration experiment is being carried out in collaboration with an electric power company's power development company, Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Iwatani Corporation, and an Australian energy company.

The total project cost is about 500 million Australian dollars (about 42 billion yen).

If successful, it is the world's first big project that can stably procure cheap hydrogen from Australia.

There is no reference data!

However, making hydrogen from lignite is not easy.

There is no basic data because it is a resource that has not been used much until now.

To extract hydrogen, first, oxygen (O2) is added to crushed lignite (C, H, etc.) and steamed in a high-temperature furnace exceeding 1000 degrees Celsius to generate gas.

When water vapor (H2O) is added to it, hydrogen (H2) and carbon dioxide (CO2) are converted into gas as the main component.

However, if the amount of oxygen is not adjusted properly, the raw material will burn too much and only a small amount of hydrogen can be extracted.

Technicians say that they continue to determine the optimum amount of oxygen while carefully checking the image inside the furnace.

Purity 99.999%

Furthermore, removing impurities such as carbon dioxide and nitrogen from gases containing hydrogen also requires high technology.

After trial and error, we succeeded in producing hydrogen with a purity of "99.9996%".

Electric Power Development Co., Ltd. Koji Omata

"I think that we have been able to demonstrate that hydrogen can be produced from lignite, which everyone thought was difficult to use, so I think it will attract a lot of attention. I think it is a very big step toward commercialization. Masu "

Carry at minus 253 degrees

Even if hydrogen is produced, it cannot be used unless it can be transported to Japan.

The route from Victoria to Kobe, which has a dedicated cargo handling base, is about 9000 km and takes more than two weeks.

For transportation, it is efficient to liquefy and transport at minus 253 degrees, but long-distance sea transportation is technically difficult, and there is no technology that has been put into practical use in the world yet.

To meet this challenge, Kawasaki Heavy Industries built the world's first liquefied hydrogen carrier and launched it in 2019.

The total length is 116 meters.

The on-board tank has a double insulation wall and is designed to prevent outside heat from reaching inside.

We plan to bring the first hydrogen to Japan by the end of the year.

Kawasaki Heavy Industries Hiroshi Kawasoe

"We are aiming for commercial scale in the 2030s, so the challenge is to develop technology that can be increased in size by then. I want to do my best. "

Carbon dioxide is sealed on the "seabed"

What happens to carbon dioxide generated in the process of producing hydrogen?

Some people may wonder, but when it comes to commercialization, we plan to collect it and bury it on the seabed near the coal mine.

The Victoria State Government is playing a central role in researching carbon dioxide capture and storage (CCS) technology.

Hard rock covers the sponge-like ground like a lid, making it an ideal terrain for storage.

Since it is close to a coal mine, it is expected that processing costs will be kept low.

The "savior" of the coal industry?

The hydrogen project, which has begun to move, is said to have great benefits on the Australian side as well.

In Australia, where coal is one of the major export items, there are concerns that the global decarbonization trend may lead to a slump in coal demand.

For that reason, there are voices expecting that not only lignite but also ordinary coal will be used for hydrogen production as a result of this project.

Coal workers near Sydney

"I hope the coal industry can create a future where jobs can be maintained. I think the hydrogen project may be the answer."

Relations with China ...

In addition, local experts point out that there are benefits to the relationship with China.

Recently, Australia's relations with China, its largest trading partner, have deteriorated over the response to the new coronavirus.

As a result, China is restricting the import of Australian coal.

Professor Richard Holden of the University of New South Wales, who is familiar with energy security, said, "Australia is now very important to secure a stable export destination for energy resources other than China. If ordinary coal is also targeted, it will be a good opportunity to find an alternative export destination for China. "

This project aims to transform fossil fuels into next-generation energy and connect it to a stable supply.

If successful, it is likely to further reduce the distance between Japan and Australia.

I would like to expect that it will be a new force to open up the future.

Midori Aoki,

Director of Sydney Bureau

Joined in 2010

After working at Kushiro Bureau, Sakhalin Office, International Department, etc.

Reporter of Network News Department

Risa Komiya

Joined in 2003

After working at Kanazawa Bureau, International Department, and Sydney Branch, she is currently affiliated.