Vasilios Manousiouthakis, Chemical Engineering Department, University of Los Angeles, Los Angeles, 5531 Boelter Hall, Los Angeles, CA 90095 and Jorge Pena Lopez, Chemical Engineering Department, University of California at Los Angeles, 5531 Boelter Hall, Los Angeles, CA 90095.
In this work we present a novel process design that hydrogen at 99.9999% of purity and methanol from natural gas, water and air. The reactions carried out within our design are: natural gas combustion, steam methane reformer, water gas shift, dry reformer and methanol synthesis from syngas (hydrogen and carbon dioxide). Heat and power integration techniques are carried out allowing us to maintain a self-powered process plant, reduce the carbon dioxide/monoxide emissions to zero (below 10-6 kg per kg of hydrogen produced) and be economically feasible. We also show there is an optimal point for hydrogen production and power generation.