Enriched Methane ― The First Step Towards the Hydrogen Economy

This book brings together recent research from across the world on enriched methane, and examines the production, distribution and use of this resource in internal combustion engines and gas turbines. It aims to provide readers with an extensive account of potential technological breakthroughs which have the capacity to revolutionize energy systems. Enriched methane, a gas mixture composed by methane and hydrogen (10-30%vol), constitutes the first realistic step towards the application of hydrogen as an energy vector. It provides strong benefits in terms of emissions reduction, that is -11% of CO2, eq emission with the combustion of a 30%vol H2 mixture, if hydrogen is produced from renewable energy sources. Enriched methane offers the following advantages: ‧ it can be produced at competitive costs; ‧ it can be distributed by means of the medium pressure natural gas grid; ‧ it can be stored in traditional natural gas storage systems; ‧ it can feed natural gas internal combustion engine, improving conversion efficiency. This book is intended for academics in chemical engineering and energy production, distribution and storage. It is also intended for energy producers, engineering companies and R&D organizations.

Marcello De Falco is an Assistant Professor of “Dynamic and Control of Industrial Processes” at the Faculty of Engineering of “Campus Bio-Medico” of Rome and a researcher expert in reactor modelling. He has 60 publications about on reactor simulations, chemical processes development and technologies assessment.

Angelo Basile is a Senior Researcher at the Institute on Membrane Technology of the Italian National Research Council (ITM-CNR). Basile is responsible for the research related to the ultra-pure H2 production and CO2 capture using Pd-based Membrane Reactors. In this research area, he published more than: a) 110 papers as first name and/or corresponding author; b) 30 invited speaker or plenary lectures, and c) 220 papers in proc. of Int. Conferences; lecturer in various Summer Schools on Membrane Reactors organized by the European Membrane Society; editor of 15 books and more than 50 chapters; 8 patents (of which: 1 at European level and 1 at worldwide level).