Hydrogen News, page-6990

Early Scientific Discovery
• 19th Century➤ First studies on thermal decomposition of methane in academic chemistry.
Source: E. Züblin, Pyrolysis of Hydrocarbons, 1897.
• 1920s–1950s➤ Methane pyrolysis used in carbon black and hydrogen production.
Source: P. W. Bridgman, The Physics of High Pressure, 1922.

Industrial & Technical Research
• 1970s–1990s➤ Methane pyrolysis explored during global energy crises, with limited uptake.
Source: Edwards & Maitra (1995), Chemical Engineering Journal.

Commercialisation & Modern Development
• 2010 – HAZER Group founded➤ Spin-out from the University of Western Australia to develop a novel iron ore-catalysed methane pyrolysis process.
Source: HAZER Group
• 2012 – Monolith Materials established (USA)➤ Focused on plasma-based methane pyrolysis for hydrogen and carbon black.
Source: ARPA-E Report (2021)
• 2015–2016 – Monolith pilot & demo facilities built➤ Sites launched in California and Nebraska.
Source: Wikipedia – Monolith Inc.
• 2017 – HAZER Group listed on ASX (ASX: HZR) Source: HAZER Investor Centre

Recent Developments & Global Expansion
• January 2024 – HAZER’s demo plant operational (Perth)➤ First hydrogen and graphite production via commercial-scale methane pyrolysis.
Source: GlobeNewswirehttps://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2024/02/01/2821620/0/en/Hazer-Achieves-First-Hydrogen-and-Graphite-at-Commercial-Demonstration-Plant.html
• March 2025 – Graphitic Energy (ex C-Zero) launches Texas pilot plant➤ Targets 1000 kg/day of carbon and hundreds of kg of clean hydrogen.
Source: Graphitic Energy https://www.graphitic.com/news/graphitic-energy-commissions-pilot-plant-to-produce-low-cost-clean-hydrogen-and-graphite
• May 2025 – Graphitic Energy partners with Technip Energies➤ Joint effort to scale methane pyrolysis globally.
Source: GlobeNewswire https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2025/05/21/3085778/0/en/Graphitic-Energy-and-Technip-Energies-Form-Collaboration-to-Scale-Clean-Hydrogen-Technology.html

NEW – HAZER & KBR Global Licensing Partnership (2025)
• 5 May 2025 – HAZER signs global deal with engineering giant KBR Inc.➤ KBR becomes exclusive licensee for HAZER technology in ammonia and methanol sectors.➤ These sectors account for over 50% of global hydrogen demand and >500 Mt CO₂ annually.➤ KBR to co-develop a 50,000+ tonnes/year hydrogen production package.➤ Initial 6-year agreement, with AUD 3 million investment in joint development.
Source: GlobeNewswire Press Release https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2025/05/05/3073963/0/en/Hazer-and-KBR-Enter-Global-Deal-to-Accelerate-Licensing-and-Commercialisation.html