Arun Kuniyil
Senior Manager R&D
Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited
India
Mr. Arun Kuniyil, serves as a Senior Manager at HPCL R&D Centre, and has 13+ years of experience. He completed his post-graduation in chemical engineering from IIT Madras. In HPCL, he played a significant role in establishing lab facilities for Process Design & Scale Up and Novel Separations. He also commissioned R&D Demonstration units in refinery like HiGAS unit for gas absorption, PSA unit for hydrogen purification. His expertise lies in areas of Fluidization processes, HCNG Technology, gas-liquid absorption processes, and adsorption processes.
Participates in
TECHNICAL PROGRAMME | Primary Energy Supply
Natural Gas as a Transition Fuel
Forum 04 | Hall 5 Digital Poster Plaza 1
14
October
14:00
16:00
UTC+3
Natural gas (NG) is widely regarded as a lower-carbon fuel alternative to conventional hydrocarbon energy sources. However, Hydrogen-enriched compressed natural gas (HCNG)—a blend of 15–20 vol% hydrogen with compressed natural gas (CNG) offers an even more carbon-neutral alternative. HCNG can be seamlessly transported via existing NG infrastructure and utilized within existing CNG engines with minor modifications. By enhancing combustion efficiency and significantly reducing greenhouse gas emissions, HCNG provides a viable and cleaner pathway within the natural gas ecosystem to support the transition toward a hydrogen-based energy economy.
Conventional hydrogen production methods like Steam Methane Reforming (SMR) result in significant CO2 emissions (~13 kg CO2/kg H2) and high water consumption (~4.5 kg H2O/kg H2). HPCL has developed a novel, eco-friendly HCNG technology employing a proprietary low-cost catalyst derived through a circular economy approach which can overcome these challenges. This process converts methane rich feedstocks such as NG, CNG, and compressed biogas (CBG) into hydrogen and high-value carbon nanotubes (CNT), without producing CO2 emissions and with zero water footprint. A low cost proprietary catalyst is developed using circular economy approach for production of HCNG and CNT.
The technology was developed at lab scale and reached TRL stage 7 and was demonstrated at pilot scale of 25 Kg/ day. HCNG is generated in lead and lag mode of reactor operation at atmospheric pressure and mild (<600 oC) operating temperature. Generated CNTs are multiwalled in nature. CNTs are superior materials which have wide range of applications in the areas such as polymers, electronics, paint & corrosion coating, tyre, aerospace, automotive, and energy storage etc. This breakthrough contributes to both decarbonization and resource efficiency by integrating clean hydrogen generation with carbon valorization.
HP-HCNG offers a high-impact, low-carbon energy pathway that reinforces the strategic role of natural gas in the energy transition. Its low-emission profile, enhanced fuel efficiency, and infrastructure compatibility position HCNG as an effective transitional fuel for CNG-powered vehicles, industrial furnaces, and distributed energy systems contributing meaningfully to global climate goals and a sustainable energy future.
Conventional hydrogen production methods like Steam Methane Reforming (SMR) result in significant CO2 emissions (~13 kg CO2/kg H2) and high water consumption (~4.5 kg H2O/kg H2). HPCL has developed a novel, eco-friendly HCNG technology employing a proprietary low-cost catalyst derived through a circular economy approach which can overcome these challenges. This process converts methane rich feedstocks such as NG, CNG, and compressed biogas (CBG) into hydrogen and high-value carbon nanotubes (CNT), without producing CO2 emissions and with zero water footprint. A low cost proprietary catalyst is developed using circular economy approach for production of HCNG and CNT.
The technology was developed at lab scale and reached TRL stage 7 and was demonstrated at pilot scale of 25 Kg/ day. HCNG is generated in lead and lag mode of reactor operation at atmospheric pressure and mild (<600 oC) operating temperature. Generated CNTs are multiwalled in nature. CNTs are superior materials which have wide range of applications in the areas such as polymers, electronics, paint & corrosion coating, tyre, aerospace, automotive, and energy storage etc. This breakthrough contributes to both decarbonization and resource efficiency by integrating clean hydrogen generation with carbon valorization.
HP-HCNG offers a high-impact, low-carbon energy pathway that reinforces the strategic role of natural gas in the energy transition. Its low-emission profile, enhanced fuel efficiency, and infrastructure compatibility position HCNG as an effective transitional fuel for CNG-powered vehicles, industrial furnaces, and distributed energy systems contributing meaningfully to global climate goals and a sustainable energy future.
