Headline: First milestone for the IASS-KIT partnership on methane cracking

On March 21, 2013, IASS Scientific Director Prof. Rubbia and the members of his Methane Cracking Research Group visited the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), where a methane cracking experimental facility is under construction in the context of a scientific collaboration between IASS and KIT.

The research group’s activities are aimed at developing a technology suitable for industrial application, and are based on a novel process design using a bubble column reactor and liquid metals. The purpose of the experimental work conducted in partnership with KIT is to gain a better understanding of the process and assess different technical options. Some preliminary testing on fluid dynamics has already been carried out, and the equipment for liquid metal technology is under construction.

Methane cracking is a technology using natural gas to produce hydrogen through the thermal dissociation of methane into its atomic components. Contrary to the current commercial hydrogen production methods, methane cracking does not involve CO₂ emissions, and therefore represents an alternative, low-carbon way of exploiting natural gas. Its potential applications range from electricity generation to the transport sector and industrial processes using hydrogen as starting material.

50 years of French-German scientific cooperation

During his visit, Prof. Rubbia also participated in a French-German conference themed “Technology for the Future”, organized by KIT to celebrate the 50^th anniversary of the Élysée Treaty between France and Germany. Guest speakers alongside Prof. Rubbia included Prof. Joachim Sauer from Humboldt University and Prof. Gabriel Chardin from the French National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS).

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