Cost Analysis of Integrated Pathways for Hydrogen Generation via Natural Gas Partial Oxidation Combined with CO ₂ Capture or Electrolysis

Natural gas (NG) reforming dominates global hydrogen production through three chemistry routes: autothermal (ATR), steam-methane reforming (SMR), and partial oxidation (POX). Hydrogen plants generate substantial amounts of CO2, and reducing the carbon intensity is vital for sustainable development. There is a lack of technoeconomic analyses exploring hydrogen production by natural gas partial oxidation (POX). This work examines two pathways to mitigate CO2 in POX plants by using recoverable heat from the process to (1) integrate the plant with an electrolyzer to enhance hydrogen production and (2) integrate with CCS (blue hydrogen). Design regimes are identified for the integrated POX-CCS process. Technoeconomic analyses show the trade-off between hydrogen costs and the reduction in CO2 emissions. Results show that electrolyzer integration is limited due to the electrolyzer’s large power demand, while CCS integration achieves 95% emission reductions with only 9% cost increase. A life-cycle assessment compares the integrated POX system with conventional SMR and electrolysis.