Novel blue hydrogen production process through chemical looping water splitting with sorption enhanced—steam methane reforming (CLWS + SE-SMR) coupling

Blue hydrogen production plays a vital role in the global energy transition by offering a low-carbon alternative to conventional fossil fuels, helping to mitigate climate change and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. This study explores an integrated approach to blue hydrogen production by combining sorption-enhanced steam methane reforming (SE-SMR) with chemical looping water splitting (CLWS). The process was analyzed using Aspen Plus (Version 12.1) to evaluate its performance and energy efficiency. Methane (CH4) is converted into high-purity hydrogen (H2) (99.8%) while maintaining thermal self-sufficiency through heat supplied by the CLWS air reactor operating at 950 °C. For a feed rate of 1000 kmol/h of methane, the system requires 59 MW of thermal energy and yields 2.63 moles of hydrogen per mole of methane. The integrated configuration achieves a net efficiency of 79.3%, surpassing the conventional CLC + SE-SMR method. These findings suggest that the proposed system offers a promising pathway for sustainable hydrogen production with reduced carbon emissions.