Techno-economic Analysis of Metal–Organic Frameworks for Hydrogen and Natural Gas Storage
A techno-economic analysis was conducted for metal-organic framework (MOF) adsorbents, which are promising candidates for light-duty vehicle onboard natural gas and hydrogen storage. The goal of this analysis was to understand cost drivers for large-scale (2.5 Mkg/year) MOF synthesis and to identify potential pathways to achieving a production cost of less than $\$10$/kg MOF. Four MOFs were analyzed with four different metal centers and three different linkers: Ni 2 (dobdc) (dobdc 4– = 2,5-dioxido-1,4-benzenedicarboxylate; Ni-MOF-74), Mg 2 (dobdc; Mg-MOF-74), Zn 4 O(bdc) 3 (bdc 2– = 1,4-benzenedicarboxylate; MOF-5), and Cu 3 (btc) 2 (btc 3– = 1,3,5-benzenetricarboxylate; HKUST-1). Baseline costs are projected to range from $\$35$/kg to $\$71$/kg predicated on organic solvent (solvothermal) syntheses using an engineering scale-up of laboratory demonstrated synthesis procedures and conditions. Two alternative processes were analyzed to evaluate the cost impact of reducing solvent usage: liquid assisted grinding (LAG) and aqueous synthesis. Cost projections from these alternative synthesis approaches range from $\$13$/kg to $\$36$/kg (representing 34%-83% reductions), demonstrating the large impact of solvent on the baseline analysis. Lastly, sensitivity studies were conducted to identify additional opportunities for achieving MOF production costs of less than $\$10$/kg.