Hydrogen News, page-4278

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-02-09/bill-gates-led-fund-backs-tech-to-use-natural-gas-without-the-carbon-impact

C-Zero can make about 10 kilograms of hydrogen per day in a small pilot plant. The next step is to build a demonstration unit that can make 100 kg of the gas per day, followed by a commercial unit that is capable of producing more than 1,000 kg per day.

It looks like they’re some way behind Hazer still.

C-Zero isn’t the only one trying to deploy the tech. Nebraska-based Monolith Materials Inc. is also hoping to find a market for the solid carbon produced as a byproduct of turning methane into hydrogen carbon black]. Australia-based Hazer Group Ltd turns natural gas into hydrogen and graphite, a form of carbon that can be used in lithium-ion batteries.

“I wish that our carbon had value. That’s a much better business model,” said Jones [C-Zero CEO]. If only 10% of the natural gas the world consumes today was converted to hydrogen through this process, Jones estimates that the global market for solid carbon would be saturated. “That’s the difference from our competitors. We’ve been 100% focused on making the lowest cost, cleanest hydrogen we can,” he added.

Hazer has a much better business model by Zach Jones’s own admission, but it’s likewise been focused on the lowest-cost H2 since Day 1. C-Zero might be forced to bury its low-grade carbon in the ground, while Hazer takes a chunk of the world market (no problem with that...).

I wonder how C-Zero will hit its US$1.50/kg target for H2 (https://www-greentechmedia-com.cdn.ampproject.org/c/s/www.greentechmedia.com/amp/article/c-zero-raises-11.5m-to-scale-up-turquoise-hydrogen-technology). Moreover, unclear what size of plant is necessary.

A consideration has to be catalyst cost. Hazer’s iron ore is currently just over A$200/tonne. But, according to a paper on Nature.com (https://www.nature.com/articles/s41560-017-0080-1 - Eric McFarland), C-Zero uses a Nickel-Bismuth molten mix that remains stable for about 170 hours.

There's noting to state how much they plan to use, but Nickel can cost US$18,000/tonne and Bismuth US$4,000/tonne (indicatively).

….

These two links from 2020 outline other methane pyrolysis technology in development now, including BASF and Hazer:

https://www.ammoniaenergy.org/articles/methane-splitting-and-turquoise-ammonia

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/cite.202000029

Interestingly, the authors of the second piece (August 2020) think Hazer is only coming out of the lab this year. In general, technical and other write-ups that feature Hazer seem to skim over them.

We often ask why Hazer management keep their cards so tight, but it’s turning into a pretty competitive field and it seems few people may realise quite how competitive and advanced they are. This should be an interesting year!