Honeywell on April 12 announced that Wabash Valley Resources LLC (WVR) has selected a range of Honeywell UOP technologies to capture and sequester up to 1.65 million tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) annually and to produce clean hydrogen energy from a repurposed gasification plant in West Terre Haute, Ind. The project is expected to be one of the largest carbon sequestration initiatives in the U.S. to date.
“By implementing Honeywell UOP’s proven technologies for the capture of CO2 and hydrogen purification, we will significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions,” said Dan Williams, Managing Director of WVR “This project will allow for market access to clean hydrogen, as well as support the domestic growth of the hydrogen economy.”
Honeywell said UOP will provide technology licenses, basic engineering, and specialty equipment, including a modular MOLSIV™ molecular sieve dehydration unit, modular Ortloff CO2 Fractionation unit, and Polybed™ pressure swing adsorption (PSA) unit to sequester carbon dioxide and process synthesis gas from the gasification unit.
The Ortloff CO2 Fractionation technology will produce a high-purity liquid CO2 stream while separating a hydrogen-rich stream that will be purified by the PSA unit. The CO2 stream will be sent for permanent geological storage, while the hydrogen stream can fuel a hydrogen turbine to generate electrical power. The hydrogen stream can also be used in chemical synthesis or marketed as a clean transportation fuel.
An affiliate of Phibro LLC, WVR acquired the West Terra Haute gasification plant in 2016, with plans to convert it to a hydrogen production plant and carbon capture and sequestration project. The project was recently selected to receive funding from the Department of Energy (DOE) as part of the Carbon Storage Program.
A recent study by the Fuel Cell and Hydrogen Energy Association estimates the hydrogen economy can generate as much as $140 billion per year in revenue and create 700,000 U.S. jobs by 2030. At projected growth rates, this could grow to $750 billion per year in revenue and 3.4 million jobs by 2050.