April 2021 Meeting

"The Hydrogen Economy – Is It Finally Coming?"

 Theodore (Ted) Krause

Chemical Sciences and Engineering Division

Argonne National Laboratory

Speaker Biography:  

Theodore (Ted) Krause is a Chemical Engineer and Theme Leader for the Catalysis and Energy Conversion Group in the Chemical Sciences and Engineering (CSE) Division at Argonne nearly 35 years of experience in the fields of catalysis and fuel cells. As theme leader, he manages R&D activities in fuels cells and catalysis. He currently serves as the Laboratory Program Manager for fuel cell and hydrogen R&D funding by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technologies Office (FCTO). He previously served as the Laboratory Program Manager to the DOE Office of Nuclear Energy Nuclear Hydrogen Initiative from 2008-2009. His areas of research and expertise include catalyst and process development for producing H₂ from fossil and renewable feedstocks for fuel cell applications; materials development for proton-conducting ceramic fuel cells; catalytic process development for converting biomass or natural gas to liquid fuels and/or value-added chemicals; and the application of high-throughput experimental techniques for accelerating material and process development for a wide range of chemical processes. He holds a Ph.D. degree in Chemical Engineering from the University of Delaware. 

 Presentation Abstract:

There is growing worldwide interest in hydrogen as an energy carrier to service multiple sectors of the economy as a means of reducing CO2 emissions. Today, the U.S. produces about 10 million tons of hydrogen primarily for petroleum refining and ammonia production. Most of the hydrogen produced today, referred to as “gray” hydrogen, is produced by steam reforming of natural gas which results in considerable CO2 emissions. Hydrogen can also be produced by electrolysis of water, and if the source of the electricity is renewable wind or solar energy or nuclear energy, there is no CO2 emissions associated with its production, referred to as “green” hydrogen. There is growing interest in “green” hydrogen as a fuel or a feed stock to replace fossil fuels for a wide range of applications to reduce or eliminate CO2 emissions. In the transportation sector, “green” hydrogen is being considered as a fuel for cars, buses, trucks, trains, ships, and planes. In the industrial sector, “green” hydrogen is being considered as a replacement for “gray” hydrogen in petroleum refining and ammonia production and new applications for “green” hydrogen are being developed in the metals and steel industries. In the energy sector, “green” hydrogen is being considered as a fuel for combustion-based technologies fueled today by coal or natural gas. This presentation will give an overview of some of the new “green” hydrogen technologies being developed, how they are being deployed in the U.S. and across the globe, and the challenges being faced towards wider adoption of these technologies.