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Hydrogen production and electrified reactors

Joule-heated reactors, electrified tar reforming, methane pyrolysis to turquoise hydrogen and solid carbon, bio-oil reforming over biochar catalysts.

(a) Methane pyrolysis experiment: methane and nitrogen are metered through rotameters into a fluidized-bed reactor with a temperature controller; the gas passes a scrubber and a cold trap to a quadrupole mass spectrometer, a sampling bag or the exhaust. Figure: Inggar Pratiwi, 2026. (b) Electrified tar reforming: a model tar and methane are heated and reformed in a catalytic electric tar reformer, a Pd-alloy membrane separates pure hydrogen, and electrochemical Fischer–Tropsch synthesis turns the gases into short- and long-chain hydrocarbons; labels in Indonesian. Figure: Aldricho Alpha Pollardo, 2026.
(a) Methane pyrolysis experiment: methane and nitrogen are metered through rotameters into a fluidized-bed reactor with a temperature controller; the gas passes a scrubber and a cold trap to a quadrupole mass spectrometer, a sampling bag or the exhaust. Figure: Inggar Pratiwi, 2026. (b) Electrified tar reforming: a model tar and methane are heated and reformed in a catalytic electric tar reformer, a Pd-alloy membrane separates pure hydrogen, and electrochemical Fischer–Tropsch synthesis turns the gases into short- and long-chain hydrocarbons; labels in Indonesian. Figure: Aldricho Alpha Pollardo, 2026.

The lab develops low-carbon hydrogen routes that replace fuel-fired heat with electricity. Joule-heated reactors with SiSiC foam elements are used for the decomposition of hydrogen carriers and for catalytic tar reforming, and electrified tar reforming is combined with electrochemical Fischer–Tropsch synthesis to turn gasification tar into syngas and liquid fuel.

Other topics are turquoise hydrogen and solid carbon from methane pyrolysis in a fluidized bed, with plant-scale modelling and techno-economic analysis, and reforming of aromatic and aliphatic bio-oil compounds over biochar catalysts to produce hydrogen and biocarbon.

Current topics

  • Joule-heated reactors with SiSiC foam heating elements
  • Electrified tar reforming to syngas
  • Methane pyrolysis to turquoise hydrogen and solid carbon
  • Bio-oil reforming over biochar catalysts

Theses in progress

Publications

All publications

  1. Pancasakti B. P., Zaini I. N., Zhao C., Nagaraja S. S., Alhajjaji A. M., Alsaggaf A. M., Turner J. W. G., Sarathy S. M. (2026). Sustainability of e-hydrogen carriers production: Techno-economic and life cycle perspectives in Saudi Arabia. Energy 357, 141339. doi:10.1016/j.energy.2026.141339

  2. Pancasakti B. P., Zaini I. N., Alsaggaf A. M., Turner J. W. G., Sarathy S. M. (2026). Cost of sustainable ammonia production from renewable e-hydrogen: comparing different gas separation methods and reactor configurations. Sustainable Energy Technologies and Assessments 92, 105221. doi:10.1016/j.seta.2026.105221

  3. Nurdiawati A., Tahir F., Zaini I. N., Al-Ghamdi S. G. (2025). Prospective environmental and economic assessment of green steel production in the Middle East. Resources, Conservation and Recycling 219, 108277. doi:10.1016/j.resconrec.2025.108277

  4. Bolívar Caballero J. J., Zaini I. N., Nurdiawati A., Fedorova I., Cao P., Lewin T., Jönsson P. G., Yang W. (2025). Electrified catalytic steam reforming for renewable syngas production: Experimental demonstration, process development and techno-economic analysis. Applied Energy 377, 124556. doi:10.1016/j.apenergy.2024.124556

  5. Yang H., Zaini I. N., Pan R., Jin Y., Wang Y., Li L., Bolívar Caballero J. J., Shi Z., Subasi Y., Nurdiawati A., Wang S., Shen Y., Wang T., Wang Y., Sandström L., Jönsson P. G., Yang W., Han T. (2024). Distributed electrified heating for efficient hydrogen production. Nature Communications 15, 3868. doi:10.1038/s41467-024-47534-8

  6. Yang H., Nurdiawati A., Gond R., Chen S., Wang S., Tang B., Jin Y., Zaini I. N., Shi Z., Wang W., Martin A., Younesi R., Sandström L., Jönsson P. G., Yang W., Han T. (2024). Carbon-negative valorization of biomass waste into affordable green hydrogen and battery anodes. International Journal of Hydrogen Energy 49, 459–471. doi:10.1016/j.ijhydene.2023.09.096

  7. Bolívar Caballero J. J., Han T., Svanberg R., Zaini I. N., Yang H., Gond R., Cao P., Lewin T., Jönsson P. G., Yang W. (2023). Advanced application of a geometry-enhanced 3D-printed catalytic reformer for syngas production. Energy Conversion and Management 287, 117071. doi:10.1016/j.enconman.2023.117071