Shell Catalysts & Technologies is betting on its patented blue hydrogen process to help decarbonisation in Europe, working to bridge the transition into green hydrogen, Kallanish reports.

Virtually all the hydrogen produced in the world today is grey (produced from natural gas without abatement). Blue hydrogen is produced from natural gas in conjunction with carbon capture and storage (CCS) and green hydrogen is produced from zero-carbon renewable energy. Shell is developing both blue and green hydrogen.  

“Whilst green hydrogen is the ideal aspiration for a low-carbon energy future, that technology has a number of years to go before it is of a competitive price range,” says Nick Flinn, global vice president for Technology Licensing Services at Shell. “In the interim, blue hydrogen can help create the demand and transport networks for hydrogen whilst green hydrogen costs fall.”

Shell defends its technology has two key differences when compared to existing technologies from competitors: simplicity, which can reduce capex by 20%; and efficiency, which cuts opex by 35%.

Its non-catalytic process doesn’t require steam, it rather produces steam. Without catalyst, there’s no need to pre-treat the natural gas that is going into the process, which reduces complexity as well as costs, officials said in Q&A published by Shell.

Hydrogen can play an increasing role in decarbonising mobility, particularly in heavy-duty, long-haul transportation.