IDEX Readies Japan's First Commercial Hydrogen Production Facilities for Completion

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Researched by Industrial Info Resources East Asia (Kofu-shi, Japan)--Last November, Shin-Idemitsu Company Limited (Fukuoka, Japan), under the marketing name IDEX, along with Japan Planning Organization Incorporated (JPO) (Tokyo, Japan) and Hitachi Zosen Corporation (TYO:7004) (Osaka), began construction on one of the world's first biomass-to-hydrogen facilities. The facility will be Japan's first fully commercialized Blue Tower, and is scheduled for completion by the end of this month.

IDEX is currently finishing construction in Omuta City, near Miike Port in Fukuoka prefecture, approximately 500 kilometers southwest of Tokyo. So far, JPO has built two Blue Tower demonstration units, one in Shimane prefecture for demonstration of commercial use purposes and one in Tokushima prefecture for demonstration of practical use purposes. IDEX hopes to promote the use of biomass-derived hydrogen for various fuel cell applications, such as fuel cell power for homes and transportation. Waste heat and electricity will be sold off to local customers, including hotels and factories.

The vast majority of hydrogen fuel is produced via fossil fuel combustion; however, biomass-derived hydrogen produced at the Omuta facility will utilize Blue Tower technology, which produces 75% less carbon dioxide emissions than standard hydrogen production methods. Blue Tower technology uses a circulating system containing heated ceramic balls, which will pyrolyze wood chips provided by local sawmills. Reformed gas produced by Blue Towers typically has a hydrogen content of 40%. Other types of biomass, including animal and food waste, may be considered for use later on, though for now, the Omuta Blue Tower will consume approximately 15,000 metric tons of wood waste to produce 7,200 cubic meters of hydrogen daily.

Other regional companies, such as Tokyo Gas Company Limited (TYO:9531) (Tokyo) and Korea Gas Corporation (SEO:036460) (KOGAS) (Seongnam, South Korea), are also involved in the development of hydrogen for fuel cell purposes. KOGAS, in particular, is planning the development of a pilot hydrogen fuel-cell power plant at its new liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal, which is currently under construction in Samcheok, South Korea. The new pilot plant will utilize boil-off gas collected from LNG tankers to produce hydrogen for power generation purposes.

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