Refinery

For key stakeholders in the refining industry, balancing the mission to reduce carbon emissions and maintain operational efficiency is a formidable task. Today, the world’s refineries consume roughly 40 millton tons per annum (mtpa) of hydrogen. The hydrogen is mostly used for desulphurization and cracking of hydrocarbons in order to refiner the fuels to the right specification. Most of this hydrogen is gray hydrogen produced from natural gas (methane), leaving a carbon footprint of 10 kg of CO2 per kg of hydrogen. This means that the refining industries produces roughly 400 million tons of CO2 per year, almost 1% of total CO2 emissions.
Here, green hydrogen provides a compelling solution. By replacing gray hydrogen in refining processes with green hydrogen, carbon emission are eliminated. In the EU, the Renewable Energy Directive is forcing refineries to comply with strict carbon reduction goals. Other regions of the world are expected to follow.
Moreover, green hydrogen opens the door to synthetic fuels production, heralding a fresh era for the refining industry. One of the products of a refinery today is Naphta, which is a major feedstock of the chemical industry. Hydrogen, throughs its derivatives like Methanol poses a chance to provide the chemical industry with a green feedstock.