Hydrogen production via steam reforming of different fuels: thermodynamic comparison

Hydrogen, a sustainable energy source, has potential to address climate change. However, traditional steam reforming processes produce CO2. Alternative fuels like bio-alcohols, biogas, and LPG are being adopted for steam reforming processes. This study presents a thermodynamic comparative examination of steam reforming processes employing different fuels, including methane, methanol, ethanol, propane, glycerol, and biogas. The analysis focuses on the hydrogen yield, environmental impact, and energy requirements of these processes and a comparison with experimental results. The analyses were conducted using AspenPlus® software, minimizing the Gibbs free energy under specified conditions (T = 25–1000 °C, n = 1–10, P = 1–40 bar). Among the fuels examined, methanol, biogas, and methane exhibited the highest hydrogen yields, reaching maximum values of 96.10 %, 95.86 %, and 95.26 % respectively at 600 °C, 1 bar, and a water-to-fuel ratio of 10. Ethanol, glycerol, and propane achieved yields of 89.66 %, 86.55 %, and 84.03 % respectively at 700 °C and the same pressure and water-to-fuel ratio.