Green Hydrogen Production from Biogas or Landfill Gas by Steam Reforming or Dry Reforming: Specific Production and Energy Requirements

Dhruv Singh, Piero Sirini and Lidia Lombardi ()
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Dhruv Singh: Engineering Department, Niccolò Cusano University, Via Don Carlo Gnocchi 3, 00166 Rome, Italy
Piero Sirini: Civil and Environmental Engineering Department, University of Florence, Via Santa Marta 3, 50139 Firenze, Italy
Lidia Lombardi: Engineering Department, Niccolò Cusano University, Via Don Carlo Gnocchi 3, 00166 Rome, Italy

Energies, 2025, vol. 18, issue 10, 1-25

Abstract: Biogas is a crucial renewable energy source for green hydrogen (H 2 ) production, reducing greenhouse gas emissions and serving as a carbon-free energy carrier with higher specific energy than traditional fuels. Currently, methane reforming dominates H 2 production to meet growing global demand, with biogas/landfill gas (LFG) reform offering a promising alternative. This study provides a comprehensive simulation-based evaluation of Steam Methane Reforming (SMR) and Dry Methane Reforming (DMR) of biogas/LFG, using Aspen Plus. Simulations were conducted under varying operating conditions, including steam-to-carbon (S/C) for SMR and steam-to-carbon monoxide (S/CO) ratios for DMR, reforming temperatures, pressures, and LFG compositions, to optimize H 2 yield and process efficiency. The comparative study showed that SMR attains higher specific H 2 yields (0.14–0.19 kgH 2 /Nm 3 ), with specific energy consumption between 0.048 and 0.075 MWh/kg of H 2 , especially at increased S/C ratios. DMR produces less H 2 than SMR (0.104–0.136 kg H 2 /Nm 3 ) and requires higher energy inputs (0.072–0.079 MWh/kg H 2 ), making it less efficient. Both processes require an additional 1.4–2.1 Nm 3 of biogas/LFG per Nm 3 of feed for energy. These findings provide key insights for improving biogas-based H 2 production for sustainable energy, with future work focusing on techno–economic and environmental assessments to evaluate its feasibility, scalability, and industrial application.

Keywords: boigas; H 2; LFG; DMR; SMR; simulation; aspen plus (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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