Another major milestone has been reached in the decarbonisation of the industrial economy after UK-based Tarmac led a project to produce industrial lime with clean hydrogen.
The company Tarmac replaced natural gas in the lime production process, which involves heating calcium carbonate from limestone to about 1,000 degrees Celsius. By burning hydrogen, no carbon dioxide was emitted from burning the fuel, only water vapour.
Lime production is the second largest source of carbon emissions from industrial processes after cement production. Fuel emissions account for about one third of the CO2 emissions in lime production, with the remainder coming from the conversion of limestone to quicklime.
Lime is used a host of industrial and manufacturing applications, including steel production, construction, food, agriculture and environmental services such as purifying drinking water.
The biggest consumer of lime is the steel industry, which uses it to turn iron into ‘pig iron’, as a fluxing agent in furnaces and to enhance the life of the furnaces.
The biggest consumer of lime is the steel industry, which uses it to turn iron into ‘pig iron’, as a fluxing agent in furnaces and to enhance the life of the furnaces.
Hydrogen is also being used to replace coking coal in the direct reduction process, further slashing the carbon emissions from its production. The world’s first green steel made with clean hydrogen was produced last year by Swedish green steel venture HYBRIT, which is aiming to demonstrate the technology on an industrial scale as early as 2026.
Just this week, BP signed a memorandum of understanding with Thyssenkrupp Steel with the aim of developing a long-term supply of low carbon hydrogen and renewable power for steel production.
The decarbonisation of the lime production process is another feather in the cap for clean hydrogen, which is the only viable option for eliminating CO2 emissions from industries including metals, chemicals manufacturing and construction and has a major role to play in decarbonising travel and energy storage.
Companies including Rolls Royce, ITM Power, Ceres Power, Ryze Hydrogen, JCB and Wrightbus (pictured world first zero carbon emission double deck bus), as well as British energy majors BP and Shell, have been driving innovation in the hydrogen economy
Hydrogen produced from the electrolysis of water with renewable energy produces no CO2 emissions, making it the cleanest energy carrier in the world.
The fact that this world first happened in the UK is also a testament to the nation’s growing influence in the global hydrogen economy. Companies including Rolls Royce, ITM Power, Ceres Power, Ryze Hydrogen, JCB and Wrightbus, as well as British energy majors BP and Shell, have been driving innovation in the hydrogen economy in recent years all along the supply chain, from electrolyser manufacturing to hydrogen supply, transport and plant machinery.
We can now add lime manufacturing to the list.
SOURCE: HYCAP
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