F360,
You are correct. Companies like AirGas, Linde, etc. produce CO2 for industrial uses. One of the prime sources of CO2 is the industrial production of hydrogen, where CO2 is a byproduct. Oil refineries use H2 to purify gasoline and diesel fuels. Chemical plants use H2 in other processes, too. To get the required H2 they use a process called H2 reforming. The starting ingredient in H2 reforming is natural gas, CH4. It works to produce hydrogen like this:
CH4 (natural gas) + H2O (high temp steam) reacted over a catalyst at 1550 deg F ------> produces H2 + CO (carbon monoxide) + CO2 (carbon dioxide). Later in the process the CO is reacted to convert it to more CO2.
Bottom line: CH4 plus catalyst and a LOT of heat yields H2 and CO2.
This is one of the major processes to produce both hydrogen and carbon dioxide from natural gas, so we have plenty of industrial grade CO2 to use for processes like dry ice production.
BTW, this is one of the fallacies of people who say we have plenty of hydrogen for hydrogen-fueled vehicles. Pure H2 is NOT abundant in nature.
Hydrogen compounds are very abundant (think water, H2O), but it takes a helluva lot of energy to split the hydrogen off the molecule, whether it's H2O, CH4, etc.
It is far more efficient to simply use natural gas as a fuel directly in vehicles. It takes a boatload of energy to get the natural gas and steam up to the required temperatures to make the reaction "go" to produce the hydrogen and the CO2. Plus, of course, you are creating a lot of CO2, so if you don't capture it, it goes to the atmosphere and that's a no-no according to the "Green Experts".
Of course, power plants using natural gas, coal, or other fuels will belch a bunch of CO2 into the atmosphere as well, so I still don't understand how electric vehicles are going to solve this so-called atmospheric CO2 problem, unless you go to nuclear, hydroelectric, or solar. And more nukes and dams won't pass muster with the greens, and I don't think solar will ever be enough to power millions of vehicles. Just my humble opinion as a chemical engineer.
