Californian-based turquoise hydrogen start-up Graphitic Energy has commissioned a pilot methane pyrolysis plant in Texas.
The firm’s new plant at the Southwest Research Institute (SWRI) in San Antonio is expected to convert natural gas into hydrogen and graphene through the end of 2025.
Capable of producing “several hundred” kilogrammes of hydrogen and up to 1,000kg of graphene per day during 24/7 operations, the pilot plant will inform Graphitic’s commercial plant designs.
Methane pyrolysis breaks down methane into hydrogen and carbon at high temperatures in the absence of oxygen.
© Graphitic Energy
The firm’s process operates at less than 800ºC and uses a fluidised bed to improve heat transfer and limit the size of the reactor.
Formerly known as C-Zero, Graphitic says its technology will offer “virtually no direct CO2 emissions,” while using “very little electricity.”
The company said the technology can be “sited anywhere natural gas or LNG are available, without the need to source renewable electricity or perform geological CO2 sequestration.”
It claims that the process can scale to produce 100,000 tonnes of hydrogen per year in a single process train.
“America is currently the world leader in producing natural gas,” said Zach Jones, CEO and co-founder of Graphitic, who described it as one of the “cheapest, greenest fuels available.”
“Our innovation makes it even cleaner by extracting the carbon as solid graphite,” he added, stressing the potential of the material in manufacturing, as well as hydrogen’s use in refining and ammonia.
“This is how we build American energy security and independence while simultaneously decarbonising,” Jones concluded.
The pilot plant was backed by a recent $15m Series A funding raise, which was led by Breakthrough Energy Ventures, Trafigura and more.
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