Graphitic Energy commissions pilot plant to produce low-cost clean H2 and graphite
Graphitic Energy, formerly known as C-Zero, has commissioned its pilot plant at the Southwest Research Institute (SWRI) in San Antonio, Texas (U.S.). This state-of-the-art facility is the company’s first at-scale demonstration of its novel form of methane pyrolysis that converts natural gas into hydrogen (H2) and solid, graphitic carbon.
Graphitic Energy’s pilot plant is capable of producing several hundred kilograms (kg) of H2 and up to 1,000 kg of solid carbon per day during continuous 24/7 operations. It is expected to operate through the end of 2025.
“We have two primary goals for the pilot plant. The first is to obtain scale-up data for designing commercial scale plants, and the second is to produce large volumes of carbon to send to our carbon offtake partners,” said Graphitic’s CTO Dr. Patrick Hanks.
Graphitic’s novel approach to methane pyrolysis has virtually no direct carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, requires very little electricity, and can scale to produce 100,000 MMtpy of H2 in a single process train. Unlike other clean H2 approaches, Graphitic’s process economics do not require government subsidies to be cost-competitive, and the company can profitably deliver H2 and graphite at current market prices. In addition, the company’s technology can be sited anywhere natural gas or LNG are available, without the need to source renewable electricity or perform geological CO2 sequestration.
“The world spent the last few years anticipating an energy transition, but it already happened during the fracking revolution of the 2010s. America is currently the world leader in producing natural gas - one of the cheapest, greenest fuels available,” said Zach Jones, CEO and Co-Founder of Graphitic Energy. “Our innovation makes it even cleaner by extracting the carbon as solid graphite, which allows us to onshore a critical mineral used in everything from batteries to nuclear reactors. The H2 can help meet the domestic demand for over 10 metric MMtpy, primarily from the refining and ammonia sectors. This is how we build American energy security and independence while simultaneously decarbonizing.”
The company’s pilot is supported by a recent $15-MM extension of its series A funding, bringing its total investment to > $65 MM. Investors in the extension included Energy Capital Ventures, Breakthrough Energy Ventures and Trafigura.
“We’ve been impressed with the team’s ingenuity in solving for the clean H2 opportunity and their expertise establishing innovative approaches for achieving their mission,” said Vic Pascucci, Co-Founder and Managing General Partner of Energy Capital Ventures. “Driving down the cost of clean energy is critical to global adoption, so we’re excited about the path Graphitic Energy is taking. We’ve been studying pyrolysis and the broader H2 economy for several years. Graphitic Energy is clearly a game-changing leader in the green molecules energy expansion!”
“This is the third time we’ve invested with the Graphitic Energy team since 2020 because we believe in the team's ability to scale a breakthrough technology,” said Carmichael Roberts of Breakthrough Energy Ventures. “Graphitic's innovative approach to producing H2 and graphite from natural gas aligns with strategic priorities like strengthening domestic supply chains and building energy security; at the same time, it offers a fast pathway to making clean H2 economical, which is a game changer for the industry and the climate."
Comments