Synergizing autothermal reforming hydrogen production and carbon dioxide electrolysis: Enhancing the competitiveness of blue hydrogen in sustainable energy systems

With the global energy paradigm shifting towards renewable and sustainable systems, hydrogen is increasingly recognized as a promising energy carrier. In this transition, blue hydrogen is often considered a bridge solution to green hydrogen due to its economic vulnerability to carbon costs and environmental regulations related to life- cycle emissions. To expand the role of blue hydrogen, it is essential to enhance hydrogen yield, reduce production costs, and minimize greenhouse gas emissions during the production phase. This study proposes an integrated process for blue hydrogen production and CO2 2 electrolysis to enhance the competitiveness of blue hydrogen in sustainable energy systems. The focus of this study was to integrate autothermal reforming hydrogen production with solid oxide CO2 2 electrolysis and to determine the optimal configuration and operating conditions of the integrated process. The proposed process demonstrated superior performance in terms of energy efficiency, production cost, and environmental impact compared with conventional blue hydrogen production. Furthermore, considering the intermittency of renewable electricity and the uncertainties in CO2 2 electrolysis technology, the industrial feasibility of the proposed process was validated. The integration of autothermal reforming blue hydrogen production and CO2 2 electrolysis has four clear advantages: (i) the costly air separation and carbon capture units, which pose significant financial burdens in autothermal reforming blue hydrogen production, can be eliminated; (ii) the downstream separation, which is indispensable in a standalone CO2 2 electrolysis system, can be removed; (iii) utilization pathways for captured CO2 2 from blue hydrogen production have been proposed; and (iv) guidelines have been provided for the industrial utilization of CO2 2 electrolysis.