Project description
Local, small-scale hydrogen production: emission-free and cost-effective
Hydrogen is a promising carbon-free energy carrier that can help reduce dependence on hydrocarbon combustion. Currently, electrolysis of water is the most mature technology for producing hydrogen. The EIC-funded hyplasma project will focus on commercialising another emissions-free route, methane pyrolysis, which is less expensive due to less electricity required. It also yields solid carbon, a valuable side-product that is a building block in other industries. The process has been designed for continuous operation with a low environmental footprint and can be retrofit into existing industrial processes. Furthermore, it takes place in a container, which will support decentralised hydrogen production near the end-user, eliminating transport issues.
Objective
HyPlasma aims at bringing to the market an integrated solution for the production of affordable clean Hydrogen.
The process is based on methane pyrolysis, which transforms natural gas (or biomethane) into clean Hydrogen on one hand, and solid carbon on the other hand: it therefore avoids CO2 emissions. The operating costs are much lower than electrolysis (currently the most mature clean hydrogen production solution) thanks to lower electricity consumption. Besides, the carbon contained in the methane is sequestrated as a valuable solid carbon by-product.
This innovation was designed with industrial constraints in mind, allowing continuous operation at a competitive price with a low footprint, and allows to easily retrofit existing infrastructure: a greater environmental impact can be achieved when industrial processes are transformed but not disrupted. HyPlasma is containerized, to deliver clean Hydrogen near the end-user and thus decentralize the hydrogen production.
Fields of science
- natural scienceschemical scienceselectrochemistryelectrolysis
- engineering and technologyenvironmental engineeringenergy and fuelsfossil energynatural gas
- natural scienceschemical sciencesorganic chemistryaliphatic compounds
- engineering and technologyenvironmental engineeringenergy and fuelsrenewable energyhydrogen energy
Keywords
Programme(s)
- HORIZON.3.1 - The European Innovation Council (EIC) Main Programme
Funding Scheme
HORIZON-EIC-ACC-BF - HORIZON EIC Accelerator Blended FinanceCoordinator
06560 VALBONNE
France
The organization defined itself as SME (small and medium-sized enterprise) at the time the Grant Agreement was signed.