据天然气加工7月7日消息，日本最大的城市燃气供应商东京燃气公司将于明年3月底在日本开展甲烷化技术的示范试验，这是一种帮助城市燃气脱碳的技术。
甲烷化是将氢气和二氧化碳转化为合成甲烷，这是天然气的主要成分的一种替代，它被认为是一种将二氧化碳作为原材料的方法，可以帮助该公司在2050年实现碳中和。
甲烷可以以多种方式使用，包括在发电厂或家庭中作为供热和发电的燃料，以及作为化学工业的原材料。
东京燃气公司计划在其位于东京附近横滨的研究中心启动试点项目，最初使用从外部采购的氢气和二氧化碳。
该公司还计划使用英国ITM电力公司的一种水电解装置产生的氢气，并在未来使用附近工厂或客户排放和捕获的二氧化碳。该公司计划明年6月在试验场安装该装置。
该公司计划使用日立造船公司的甲烷化装置。
东京燃气希望开发这种技术和供应链，因为它可以利用现有的天然气基础设施，如管道、储罐、燃气发电厂和油轮。
东京燃气公司高级管理执行官Kentaro Kimoto在新闻发布会上表示：“为了降低社会成本，有效利用现有的基础设施是很重要的，而甲烷化是天然气能源脱碳的一个有前景的选择。”
裘寅 编译自 天然气加工
原文如下：
Tokyo Gas to start methanation pilot program
Tokyo Gas Co., Japan's biggest city gas supplier, will start a demonstration test of methanation, a technology to help decarbonize city gas, in Japan by the end of next March.
Methanation converts hydrogen and carbon dioxide (CO2) into synthesized methane, an alternative of the main component in natural gas, and it is considered a way of using CO2 as a raw material that could help the company achieve carbon neutrality in 2050, it said.
Methane can be used in many ways, including as a fuel to generate heat and electricity in power plants or at home, and as a raw material for the chemical industry.
Tokyo Gas plans to start the pilot programme at its research centre in Yokohama, near Tokyo, initially using hydrogen and CO2 procured from outside.
It also plans to use hydrogen generated by a water electrolysis device from Britain's ITM Power PLC, which it aims to install at the test site by next June, as well as CO2 emitted and captured from nearby factories or its customers in the future.
It plans to use Hitachi Zosen Corp's methanation device.
Tokyo Gas wants to develop the technology and a supply chain as it can use existing natural gas infrastructure such as pipelines, storage tanks, gas-fired power plants and tankers.
"To reduce social costs, it is important to make effective use of existing infrastructure, and methanation is a promising option for decarbonisation of gas energy," Kentaro Kimoto, Tokyo Gas' senior managing executive officer, told a news conference.