Brazil's state-controlled oil company Petrobras is analysing options to replace fossil hydrogen used at its refineries with renewable hydrogen, the company's industrial processes executive officer William Franca has said.
The company uses hydrogen produced from natural gas with unabated emissions, for production of low-sulphur gasoline. According to Franca, Petrobras requires around 500,000 t/yr of hydrogen for this process and is working out possibilities for switching to hydrogen from renewable sources such as biomass, biomethane or electrolysis powered by renewable energy.
Petrobras is in talks with domestic and international companies to make a move in this direction, he said.
Petrobras' move echoes suggestions from the IEA to expand the use of renewable hydrogen in applications such as oil refineries and fertilizer production in order to spur demand and accelerate market activity.
Brazil's government is in the process of finalising its hydrogen regulatory framework. Industry participants have been critical of the country's tardiness to establish regulation in the sector, as well as authorities' eagerness to embrace production of hydrogen from natural gas combined with carbon capture and storage (CCS).
