Organic materials such as raw refuse, waste plastics, waste biomass, sludges, etc. are decomposed by the use of supercritical water to selectively produce hydrogen. A thermochemical reaction is promoted to reduce the supercritical water and selectively produce hydrogen, without substantially adding any oxidizing agent to the supercritical water of a specific temperature and pressure, in the presence of a carbon dioxide-absorbing substance in an amount sufficient to absorb all of the generated carbon dioxide, so that carbon contained in the organic wastes reduces the supercritical water, and hence the organic materials are completely decomposed and also hydrogen gas is removed.
A method and apparatus for use in producing high-pressure hydrogen from natural gas, methanol, ethanol, or other fossil fuel-derived and renewable hydrocarbon resources. The process can produce hydrogen at pressure ranging from 2000 to 12,000 pounds per square inch (psi) using a hydrogen feedstock (16, 18) high pressure water (12, 18), and an appropriate catalyst. Following making and heating in preheater (14), the catalyst reacts with the hydrogen feedstock (16, 18) and high pressure water (12, 18) in a catalytic reformer (20) maintained under desired temperature and pressure conditions. Reformate products exit reformer (200) and flow into condenser (22), in which water and a portion of the carbon dioxide product are condensed.
