LOHC by Honeywell offers hydrogen storage and transport solution

Hydrogen is a clear piece of the decarbonization puzzle for many industrial sectors, including petroleum refining, but a major challenge lies in the storage and long-distance transport of hydrogen in its gaseous form.

One proposed solution is the use of liquid organic hydrogen carrier (LOHC) technologies, wherein hydrogen is chemically combined into a liquid carrier for easier transport and storage, but LOHC requires reactors and other equipment that can be complex and expensive to set up.

A new LOHC technology recently launched by Honeywell based on Honeywell UOP technologies, enables the use of existing infrastructure at petroleum refineries for LOHC, which significantly decreases the capital investment required to adopt LOHC processes when compared with constructing new facilities.

The new LOHC technology draws from established UOP technologies for aromatics saturation and naphtha reforming, both of which can achieve very high hydrogen selectivities.