MT. PROSPECT, Ill., April 27, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Prime Plasma, Inc. announced that the company intends to introduce its DC plasma technology for producing clean hydrogen and electroconductive carbon black (ECB) in Korea. In addition to its use as a fuel, this hydrogen will also be combined with captured CO2 to manufacture eMethanol and eDME (dimethyl ether). The end objective is to help achieve Korea's hydrogen economy.
Prime Plasma's initiative in Korea is being executed in collaboration with Bio Friends, Inc., the world's leading manufacturer of eDME. "After reviewing all other methods, we have decided to use the Prime Plasma DC process that can convert any aliphatic hydrocarbon such as methane, renewable natural gas or biogas into pure hydrogen and electroconductive carbon black," says Dr. Wonjun Cho, CEO of Bio Friends. "Plus, the Prime Plasma technology is 100% environmentally friendly with zero CO2 emissions."
The primary application of the hydrogen plants provided by Bio Friends will be to supply fuel for refilling stations and fuel cell electric vehicles (automobiles and trucks) in Korea. By 2040, it is expected that Korea will have 1,200 refilling stations to meet the requirements of 6.2 million fuel cell electric vehicles. Demand for ECB in Korea and Japan is also expected to show strong growth to meet the emerging needs of the lithium-ion battery and specialty electrical conductor industries.
Prime Plasma's DC technology requires less than 25% of the thermodynamic energy needed for making hydrogen by electrolysis of water or by steam methane reforming (SMR). Moreover, SMR creates problems with release of carbon dioxide its and potential disposal and storage.
"Our DC process is clearly more superior than the AC version," notes Dr. Ravi Randhava, President of Prime Plasma. "Power requirements are lower, and the extremely high temperature and absence of sputtering in the plasma zone yield a higher quality of carbon black."
An engineering study conducted by Prime Plasma and Bio Friends indicates that its basic design to make 7 tons/day of 99.99% pure hydrogen and 21.2 tons/day of ECB needs a methane feed rate of 28.8 tons/day and 5 MW of electric power – grid, solar or wind. The prevailing market value of ECB is $2,000-$3,000 per ton.
Contacts:
Bongjoo Bryce Shim, Prime Plasma, Inc.
Dr. Wonjun Cho, Bio Friends, Inc.
