A process for the manufacture of a useful product from synthesis gas having a desired hydrogen to carbon monoxide molar ratio comprises gasifying a first carbonaceous feedstock comprising waste materials and/or biomass in a gasification zone to produce a first synthesis gas; optionally partially oxidising the first synthesis gas in a partial oxidation zone to generate oxidised synthesis gas; reforming a second carbonaceous feedstock to produce a second synthesis gas, the second synthesis gas having a different hydrogen to carbon ratio from that of the first raw synthesis gas; combining at least a portion of the first synthesis gas and at least a portion of the second synthesis gas in an amount to achieve the desired hydrogen to carbon molar ratio and to generate a combined synthesis gas and subjecting at least part of the combined synthesis gas to a conversion process effective to produce the useful product.

Process control parameters for production of hydrogen and FT products by steam/CO2 reforming include controlling steam reformer temperature, addition of steam, CO and optionally, biogas. Optimization of parameters have resulted in increased production of H.sub.2, removal of sulfur and halogen contaminants, and control of the H.sub.2/CO ratio for efficient generation of Fischer-Tropsch products.

A process and/or system for producing fuel that includes providing biogas, removing carbon dioxide from the biogas, transporting the upgraded biogas to a hydrogen plant; providing the transported upgraded biogas and fossil-based natural gas as feedstock for hydrogen production. The carbon intensity of the fuel is less than 11 gCO.sub.2-eq/MJ, at least in part because carbon dioxide removed from the biogas and carbon dioxide from hydrogen production is captured and stored.

Process for the preparation of hydrogen by reacting a feed gas comprising methane and carbon monoxide with steam in the presence of a steam reforming catalyst at a pressure of at least 15 bara in the heated zone of a steam reformer to obtain a raw hydrogen containing product stream, wherein (a) the feed gas is mixed with the steam before entering the steam reformer resulting in a reaction mixture of the feed gas and steam having a temperature below 540° C.; and (b) the reaction mixture obtained in step (a) is fed into the heated zone of the steam reformer where it is first contacted with an inert material before it is contacted with the steam reforming catalyst.

An apparatus and method to desulfurize a biogas containing sulfur. Since biogas is produced by an anaerobic digester from human, animal, kitchen and agriculture's wastes, it is a short term recycled product from the photosynthesis of CO.sub.2, and has a net zero carbon emission. The sulfur compounds in the biogas can be removed by the following steps: (1) converting ail sulfur compounds into H.sub.2S by the hydrogen produced from the biogas over Pt group metal catalysts; (2) adsorbing the H.sub.2S at high temperature by the regenerable Pt group metal catalyst and adsorbents. The desulfurized biogas is further converted by an ATR/CPO reformer or a steam generating reformer to produce various reformates.

A process and/or system for producing fuel using renewable hydrogen having a reduced carbon intensity. The renewable hydrogen is produced in a hydrogen production process comprising methane reforming, wherein at least a portion of the feedstock for the hydrogen production process comprises upgraded biogas sourced from a plurality of biogas plants. Each of the upgraded biogases is produced in a process that includes collecting biogas comprising methane and carbon dioxide, capturing at least 50% of the carbon dioxide originally present in the collected biogas and producing the upgraded biogas. Storage of the captured carbon dioxide reducing a carbon intensity of the fuel, without having to provide carbon capture and storage of carbon dioxide from hydrogen production.

A fuel cell single unit including: a fuel cell element in which an anode layer and a cathode layer are formed so as to sandwich an electrolyte layer; a reducing gas supply path for supplying a gas containing hydrogen to the anode layer; an oxidizing gas supply path for supplying a gas containing oxygen to the cathode layer; and an internal reforming catalyst layer, which has a reforming catalyst for steam-reforming a fuel gas, in at least a part of the reducing gas supply path is provided. An external reformer, which has a reforming catalyst for steam-reforming the fuel gas, is provided upstream of the reducing gas supply path, and the fuel gas partially reformed by the external reformer is supplied to the reducing gas supply path.

The invention relates to a process for the start-up of an autothermal reformer, wherein syngas is produced in the autothermal reformer during start-up through steam reforming. To facilitate autoignition in the autothermal reformer reactor of the autothermal reformer, the reformed syngas is recycled to an upstream section of the autothermal reformer reactor and is mixed with process steam and a hydrocarbon containing process stream. As soon as a minimum hydrogen threshold concentration at the upstream section of the autothermal reformer reactor is reached in the mixed process stream, oxygen is added to the burner of the ATR reactor to obtain autoignition of the mixed process stream. Due to the process of the invention, an external hydrogen source for facilitating autoignition of the mixed stream can be omitted. The invention further relates to a plant configured to carry out the process of the invention.

A method for heating a feed of natural gas, used as feed for a steam reformer of an ammonia production system, wherein the system comprises a steam reformer, operably connected to a heat recovery unit comprising at least two heating coils maintained at a different temperature, wherein the feed of natural gas passes through the at least two heating coils, the method comprising: a) recovering heat in the heat recovery unit from the ammonia production system and b) exchanging at least part of the heat recovered in step a) with at least a portion of the feed of natural gas, thereby obtaining a heated feed of natural gas, wherein the feed of natural gas does not comprise steam.

A process for producing and storing hydrogen includes providing an intermediate gas mixture having an increased proportion of hydrogen and contacting of the intermediate gas mixture with a hydrogen carrier medium in order to hydrogenate the hydrogen carrier medium.