Physical Carbon Capture for new hydrocarbon synthesis Use prior to direct electrochemical energy recovery from Hydrogen can increase economic yield, Carbon Efficiency and energy efficiency substantially in power generation from Natural Gas.
YES, the mitigation of water consumption costs more Methane input than producing the Hydrogen by Steam Methane Reforming [ SMR ] consuming about 36%Energy/input for transformation. But graphene like Carbon Capture chemically retains 40%Energy/input for downstream value adding fossil substitute use instead emitting CO2.
Keeping the Carbon as a transportable and storable aggregate also allows its timely decoupled use in combination with power to gas electrolysis Hydrogen. Namely by splitting water steam over the Carbon into one carbon monoxide plus one Hydrogen, cutting the electrolysis Hydrogen need for synthetic Natural Gas [ SNG ] into half. At the same time energy intensive and location dependent CO2-capture becomes dispensable.
Since direct chemical energy recovery from Methane is difficult, methane splitting can enable e.g. biogas transformation into chemical synthesis gas by splitting the CO2 fractions over the graphene like carbon. Such Boudouard reaction normally requiring quite elevated temperatures can be brought well below 1,000°C by leaving the catalyst on and/or applying alternating induction, mobilizing the graphene like Carbon’s highly mobile electrons to sufficient reactivity already at lower temperatures.
So physical Carbon Capture by Methane splitting can be seen as energy-storage contributor unlocking chemical energy recovery from Methane. Although economic analysis of Carbotopia™ applications have always shown higher profitability for Carbon Recycling, a doubling of storage efficiency in power-to-gas applications might be quite attractive also.