Decarbonisation options for the Dutch industrial gases production

Industrial gases production in the Netherlands

Industrial gases (hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, argon, carbon monoxide (CO)) are among the most widely adopted commodity chemicals since they are used in many industrial sectors. In this report we discuss the production processes of the industrial gases, and focus on decarbonisation options for hydrogen and CO.

The production of hydrogen, CO and syngas composed of hydrogen and CO takes place by steam methane reforming (SMR) or autothermal reforming (ATR) in the Botlek area in Rotterdam and in Bergen op Zoom. The production locations of oxygen, nitrogen and argon are located in industrial areas such as Rotterdam, Terneuzen and IJmuiden, as well as close to natural gas extraction locations in the northeast of The Netherlands.

Decarbonisation options related to hydrogen, CO and syngas production

The main decarbonisation options for Dutch industrial gases production are:
• Carbon Capture Utilisation and Storage (CCUS),
• Hydrogen from biomass,
• Biogas reforming,
• Water electrolysis,
• Thermal Decomposition of Methane.