Partner Paul Wurth is studying the CAPEX and OPEX of the methane splitting reactor on an industrial scale, and comparing them with the competing technologies on the market, such as Steam Methane Reforming (SMR) and on the other side with water electrolysers such as Alkaline as traditional and SOEC as emerging ones. The analysis presents promising potential in both industrial and economic contexts. The key equipment is sized, and a plant layout is envisaged to be integrated into different industries. The results show that, from the market competitiveness, the MS reactor technology can compete with SMR+CCU as well as electrolyser technologies if natural gas, biogas, or synthetic methane is available. Assuming 70 € MWh-1 for green electricity, 62 € MWh-1 for the biomethane, and a selling value of 0.75 € kg-1 of carbon, H2 should cost ca. 2.08 € kg-1, extrapolated for a plant of 10 MWH2e, which cost is lower compared with 2.74 € kg-1 estimated for the blue H2 from SMR with CO2 tax. In this study, the economics of SMR and SMR-CCU have been estimated and compared with the MS reactor technology for a large scale of 100 MW. The CCU is the combination of carbon capture and storage with the transport to the storage area. For this process, costs of 70 € tCO2-1 for capturing and 30 € tCO2-1 for transportation are assumed. 

Economically, the MS reactor offers several advantages, such as a very low electricity requirement and natural gas as feedstock, which is available in many geological locations without disturbing the supply chain. Additionally, solid carbon as a valuable byproduct creates more revenue, making it economically more attractive. More importantly, the process can be considered to have negative emissions if the electricity is supplied from renewable sources and bio-natural gas is used as feedstock with the assumption that solid carbon stays in solid form.