Solar decomposition of fossil fuels as an option for sustainability

This paper presents an overview on solar-thermal decomposition of fossil fuels as a viable option for transition path from today's permanent dependency on fossil fuels to tomorrow's solar fuels via solar thermochemical technology. The paper focuses on the thermochemical hydrogen generation...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:International journal of hydrogen energy 2009, Vol.34 (2), p.710-720
Main Authors: Ozalp, Nesrin, Kogan, Abraham, Epstein, Michael
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Alternative fuels. Production and utilization
Applied sciences
Assessments
Cracking
Decomposition
Energy
Exact sciences and technology
Fossil fuels
Fossils
Fracture mechanics
Fuels
Hydrogen
Reforming
Solar energy
Solar hydrogen
Solar reactor
Sustainability
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Summary:This paper presents an overview on solar-thermal decomposition of fossil fuels as a viable option for transition path from today's permanent dependency on fossil fuels to tomorrow's solar fuels via solar thermochemical technology. The paper focuses on the thermochemical hydrogen generation technologies from concentrated solar energy and gives an assessment of the recent advancements in the hydrogen producing solar reactors. The advantages and obstacles of hydrogen generation via solar cracking and solar reforming are presented along with some discussions on the feasibility of industrial scaling of these technologies. Solar cracking and solar reforming processes are discussed as promising hybrid solar/fossil technologies to take considerable share during transition from fossil fuel dependency to clean energy based sustainability.
ISSN:0360-3199
1879-3487
DOI:10.1016/j.ijhydene.2008.11.019