New tech for lower-cost hydrogen production? UK-based start-up HiiROC claims to have developed technology — thermal plasma electrolysis — that it says can convert biomethane, flare gas or natgas into low-cost, zero-emissions hydrogen, the Financial Times reports.

How do they do it? HiiROC uses “a very strong electric field inside a plasma torch” to separate methane molecules, producing “emerald” hydrogen and a byproduct called carbon black. It can produce hydrogen at a micro and at an industrial scale.

A Sesame Street refresher on the colors of hydrogen:

  • Green hydrogen is produced by using electrolysis powered by renewable energy sources to split water into hydrogen and oxygen.
  • Blue and gray hydrogen are created from natural gas or other methane sources through a process called steam methane reforming (SMR) — which uses high-temperature steam to produce hydrogen and CO2. Blue hydrogen uses carbon capture and storage (CCS) tech to prevent the CO2 from being emitted.
  • “Turquoise” hydrogen is also produced by heating hydrocarbons — but the CO2 produced alongside the hydrogen is captured in solid form.

What’s so special about emerald? HiiROC’s process is “electrically driven” (as opposed to using steam), meaning it uses less energy and has a lower emissions footprint, CEO Tim Davies tells the FT. The byproducts are also cleaner, with negligible CO2 emissions, as carbon black is usually solid. HiiROC’s thermal plasma electrolysis “is as cheap as SMR, without needing CCS, and a fraction of the energy/cost of water electrolysis,” according to its website. Its process takes place at the point of use, meaning the costly issues usually associated with hydrogen of all colors — production cost, storage and transportation — are avoided, the FT notes.

Why is this important for us here? Because existing low-emissions hydrogen faces issues — including cost and distribution. Currently, green hydrogen is poised for significant growth — globally and in MENA — but it still faces some issues before it can get off the ground, as we noted yesterday. These include the high cost (and limited supply) of electrolyser technology — which is still relatively early-stage — and limited capacity in green power generation. Storage and transportation are also currently impediments to widespread green hydrogen uptake. Working out how to scale up production remains a major challenge for green hydrogen in particular, the FT notes.

(And, in the short term, there’s the question of the demand side: We can talk about supply as much as we want, but policymakers will need to take steps — thought carrots and sticks — to ensure there is also corresponding demand from industry and other players.)

HiiROC is launching pilot projects: HiiROC raised GBP 2.5 mn in a 2020 funding round, followed by a further GBP 28 mn in 2021, the FT tells us. The funds raised will be used to launch pilot projects with some of its investors — including one in Germany with Wintershall Dea and VNG that could have daily production capacity of 400 kg of hydrogen, it adds.

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