Easing the Pathway to a Renewable Gas Supply

A rapid reduction of global emissions will require the development of both hydrogen and biomethane as fuel supplies for the manufacturing sector. Both fuels can potentially make use of existing natural gas pipelines and infrastructure and thus be cost effective.
Hydrogen can cause embrittlement of steel, which might ultimately result in pipeline failure. We have developed a cheap, polymeric internal coating for steel pipes to prevent hydrogen embrittlement. The coating has low hydrogen permeability to resist hydrogen entering the steel. It can be applied to in situ underground pipelines and other infrastructure through ambient temperature spray coating. Separately, we have been looking at the use of reverse electrodialysis to generate hydrogen, alongside electricity, through the mixing of two streams of alternate salinity.
The use of biomethane requires careful regulation to ensure that pipelines are not corroded and downstream appliances are unaffected. This requires effective upgrading of the raw biogas. Our focus has been on the use of perfluorinated polymers for membrane separation of the gas impurities, as these polymers are highly chemical resistant and require little pretreatment when used in this application. Membrane contactors, that utilize a solvent to increase selectivity are another option that will be discussed.