Steam methane reforming (SMR) with carbon capture and storage (CCS)aka Blue Hydrogen : Is it a viable option?

Steam methane reforming (SMR) with Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) is a process used to produce hydrogen gas from natural gas while capturing and storing the resulting carbon dioxide emissions. While this process can reduce greenhouse gas emissions compared to producing hydrogen from natural gas without CCS, it is not considered a viable solution for several reasons.

First, CCS technology is still relatively new and expensive, and it is not yet widely available. This means that the cost of producing hydrogen using SMR with CCS is currently much higher than producing hydrogen using the traditional SMR process without CCS. This makes it difficult for the hydrogen produced using this method to compete with other sources of hydrogen on the market.

Second, CCS technology is not yet proven to be reliable or cost effective over the long term. While there have been some successful pilot projects using CCS, there is still a lot of uncertainty about its ability to capture and store carbon dioxide emissions safely and permanently. Until this technology is more advanced and proven to be effective, it is difficult to justify its use on a large scale.

Third, even if CCS technology were more widely available and proven to be effective, there are still concerns about the environmental impact of producing hydrogen using SMR with CCS. While this process does reduce greenhouse gas emissions compared to traditional SMR, it still produces significant amounts of carbon dioxide that must be captured and stored. This raises concerns about the potential for leaks and other environmental impacts associated with storing large amounts of carbon dioxide.

In conclusion, while SMR with CCS is a promising technology for reducing greenhouse gas emissions from hydrogen production, it is not currently a viable solution due to its high cost, uncertain reliability, and potential environmental impacts. Until these issues are addressed, it is unlikely that this process will be widely adopted.