Plant and process for the production of hydrogen and/or methanol

A hydrogen or methanol production plant comprising:

• a thermo- and photocatalytic primary reactor, suitable for containing a reaction mixture, comprising
• a pressure-tight main body, equipped with:
• at least one water dosing and feeding system, at least one dosing and feeding system for liquid organic substrate or at least one dosing and feeding system for solid organic substrate or charcoal;
• a heating system, associated with the reactor body, so as to heat the reaction mixture contained therein;
• a photocatalytic system within the primary reactor, so as to irradiate the surface of the reaction mixture;
• and
• a primary washing tower with iodine or iodized water for sulphur dioxide (SO2) abatement, wherein said primary washing tower comprises a column bottom connected to the primary reactor via an overflow pipe, a column body containing filling bodies, a condenser associated with the column body, and a weir head distributor, and wherein the primary washing tower is connected to the primary reactor also via a feedline so that the gases (CO2 and H2) produced in the reactor are processed in the primary washing tower.

A hydrogen production process comprising the following steps:

• feeding into a pressure-tight thermo-and photocatalytic reactor equipped with a photocatalytic system, a reaction mixture comprising sulphuric acid, iodine, water and a noble metal catalyst,
• heating the reaction mixture to a temperature of 350 to 450° C. and a pressure of 10 to 12 barg,
• adding one or more organic substrates comprising at least one methylene group (—CH2) or carbon (C);
• and
• irradiating the reaction mixture with the photocatalytic system so that the following reaction cycles take place:
• the process further comprising the step of washing the gases (CO2 and H2) produced in the reactor in an iodized water washing tower in which the reaction (2) continues at a pressure of 10-12 barg and temperature decreasing from 450° C. to 120° C., and optionally also the further step of treating the exhausted gases of the washing tower with a condenser associated with the column of said washing tower and collecting the water in liquid phase at the bottom of the column.