Methane pyrolysis:
a potential gamechanger? While most of the focus has been on steam methane reforming and electrolysis, methane pyrolysis is another option for producing lowcarbon hydrogen that has garnered much less attention
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any countries have turned to hydrogen as a means of decarbonising areas of their economy that would be difficult to abate
otherwise. But while there are several low-carbon ways of producing the fuel, two methods have commanded most of the attention. The first is to use electrolysers, powered with renewable energy, to separate water into so-called green hydrogen and oxygen. The second, currently a significantly cheaper option, is to use steam methane reforming (SMR) and carbon capture to produce blue hydrogen from natural gas, capturing and
JOSEPH MURPHY
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G L O B A L VO I C E O F G A S
safely storing the resulting emissions.
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