Norwegian company Rotoboost – “a private company with global bases focusing on low carbon hydrogen production systems for land based, marine and offshore industries” – has gained approval in principle from Llloyd’s Register for its Rotobox pre-combustion carbon capture technology.

Rotobox uses a thermocatalytic decomposition process to strip carbon out of natural gas to produce ‘blue’ hydrogen and graphite, using a liquid catalyst. The hydrogen can then be blended with natural gas and combusted (or combusted alone), or fed to a fuel cell to create electricity, and the technology is designed to be deployed in shipping. In creating blue hydrogen pre-combustion, the technology performs an intriguing service, allowing transport and storage of natural gas as is, and therefore circumventing issues with hydrogen transport and storage. The company claims lower electrical power requirements compared to conventional carbon capture systems, and less storage space (for the captured, solidified carbon).

Lloyd’s Register Chief Commercial Officer Andy McKeran said of the approval that “solving the methane emissions perception in the industry, through technology and evidence enables LNG to become a future fuel that is readily available today, subject to affordability – which ranks higher than any other alleged lower emissions fuel available today.”