The invention relates to a process and a plant for the methanol synthesis, in particular for the methanol synthesis from a synthesis gas which has a hydrogen deficiency. According to the invention, a purge gas stream therefor is branched off from the synthesis gas circuit of the methanol synthesis, liberated from methanol traces in a washing device, and then treated in a hydrogen separation device which comprises a membrane separation stage and a pressure swing adsorption stage. Depending on the application and magnitude of the hydrogen deficit the membrane separation stage and the pressure swing adsorption stage can be connected in series or in parallel.

A membrane unit is able to recover hydrogen from a resid waste gas stream. Two membrane units provide even greater hydrogen recovery. The membrane separation is performed at conditions that allow the pressure of the recovered hydrogen to enter into a second stage of compression, saving the expense of the first stage of compression.

A process for producing ammonia synthesis gas from a hydrocarbon-containing feedstock, with steps of primary reforming, secondary reforming with an oxidant stream, and further treatment of the synthesis gas including shift, removal of carbon dioxide and methanation, wherein the synthesis gas delivered by secondary reforming is subject to a medium-temperature shift (MTS) at a temperature between 200 and 350.degree. C., and primary reforming is operated with a steam-to-carbon ratio lower than 2. A corresponding method for revamping an ammonia plant is disclosed, where an existing HTS reactor is modified to operate at medium temperature, or replaced with a new MTS reactor, and the steam-to-carbon ratio in the primary reformer is lowered to a value in the range 1-5-2, thus reducing inert steam in the flow rate trough the equipments of the front-end.

Hydrogen generation assemblies, hydrogen purification devices, and their components are disclosed. In some embodiments, the devices may include a permeate frame with a membrane support structure having first and second membrane support plates that are free from perforations and that include a plurality of microgrooves configured to provide flow channels for at least part of the permeate stream. In some embodiments, the assemblies may include a return conduit fluidly connecting a buffer tank and a reformate conduit, a return valve assembly configured to manage flow in the return conduit, and a control assembly configured to operate a fuel processing assembly between run and standby modes based, at least in part, on detected pressure in the buffer tank and configured to direct the return valve assembly to allow product hydrogen stream to flow from the buffer tank to the reformate conduit when the fuel processing assembly is in the standby mode.

A process for the production of a gas stream with a hydrogen concentration equal to or greater than 99.9% utilizing a pressure swing adsorption unit with a main gas stream having at least 70 mol % of hydrogen, wherein a secondary stream, representing less than 20% of the molar flow rate of the main gas stream and having a hydrogen content of less than 25 mol %, is introduced into the main gas stream upstream of the PSA is presented.

A hydrocarbon production apparatus includes a synthesis gas production unit structured to produce a synthesis gas containing carbon monoxide and hydrogen by using carbon dioxide and hydrogen, a hydrocarbon production unit structured to produce a hydrocarbon by using the synthesis gas, and a first separator structured to separate a recycle gas containing a light hydrocarbon having 4 or less carbon atoms from an effluent from the hydrocarbon production unit. The synthesis gas production unit is structured to receive supply of the recycle gas and also use the recycle gas for production of the synthesis gas.

A process and/or system for producing biomethane, hydrogen, or fuel, fuel intermediate, and/or chemical product from the biomethane or hydrogen. The biomethane and/or hydrogen is produced in a process that converts biomass to biomethane. In certain embodiments, the biomethane production process includes anaerobic digestion, which produces biogas and digestate. Carbon-containing material (e.g., derived from the biomass) is stored and/or used as part of at least one carbon capture and storage process, where the carbon-containing material includes (i) carbon dioxide produced from the biomethane production process (e.g., produced from anaerobic digestion), and (ii) carbon-containing material obtained or derived from residue of the biomethane production process, and optionally includes (iii) carbon dioxide produced from the hydrogen production process.

Processes and apparatuses for treating a sour synthesis gas are provided. The process comprises passing the sour synthesis gas stream to an acid gas removal unit to provide a treated synthesis gas stream and a CO.sub.2 rich stream. At least a portion of the CO.sub.2 rich stream is passed to a thermal oxidizer unit to provide a treated CO.sub.2 gas stream. At least a portion of the treated synthesis gas stream is passed to a pressure swing adsorption unit to obtain a purified hydrogen stream and a tail gas stream. At least a portion of the tail gas stream is passed to the thermal oxidizer unit.

A system for the production of synthesis gas, including a gasification apparatus configured to convert at least a portion of a gasifier feed material introduced thereto into a gasification product gas comprising synthesis gas having a molar ratio of hydrogen to carbon monoxide; at least one additional apparatus selected from the group consisting of feed preparation apparatus located upstream of the gasification apparatus, synthesis gas conditioning apparatus, and synthesis gas utilization apparatus; and at least one line fluidly connecting the at least one additional apparatus or an outlet of the gasification apparatus with the at least one vessel of the gasification apparatus, whereby a gas from the at least one additional apparatus or exiting the gasification apparatus may provide at least one non-steam component of a fluidization gas. A method of utilizing the system is also provided.

Provided is a hydrogen recovery method such that highly concentrated hydrogen gas can be obtained efficiently by adsorbing and removing hydrocarbon gas such as carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, and methane, using a relatively low pressure, from pyrolysis gas obtained by heat treating biomass. The present invention is the method for recovering hydrogen from pyrolysis gas obtained by heat treating biomass, characterized by including: a first purifying step of adsorbing and removing gas that mainly includes carbon dioxide under pressure from the pyrolysis gas to purify the pyrolysis gas; and a second purifying step of further adsorbing and removing gas that includes carbon dioxide under pressure from purified gas obtained by the first purifying step at a pressure lower than the pressure in the first purifying step to purify the purified gas in order to recover hydrogen from the purified gas.