I asked ChatGPT to whip up a quick comparison of the two technologies: Its quite large so had to be posted in parts. I advise reading it on a full screen i.e Laptop or Desktop, not a cell phone.

PART 1

Introduction

Methane pyrolysis (also called turquoise hydrogen production) is a process that splits methane (CH₄) into hydrogen gas (H₂) and solid carbon without directly producing CO₂. This offers a low-carbon hydrogen pathway, provided the process heat is supplied in a carbon-free waygraphitic.comchemengonline.com. Two leading developers of methane pyrolysis technology are Graphitic Energy (formerly C-Zero) and Hazer Group, each with a distinct approach. Both processes aim to produce clean hydrogen and manage the carbon byproduct as a valuable solid (graphitic carbon) instead of a waste. This report provides a technical comparison of Graphitic Energy’s and Hazer Group’s methane pyrolysis processes, covering reactor designs, catalysts, operating conditions, product qualities, energy efficiency, and scalability. A summary comparison table is provided at the end for quick reference.

Graphitic Energy’s Methane Pyrolysis Process (formerly C-Zero)

Graphitic Energy has developed a novel methane pyrolysis technology with an emphasis on low energy input, no direct CO₂ emissions, and production of high-value carbon. The company initially experimented with a molten-media reactor design but later pivoted to a catalytic fluidized-bed approach to improve performancechemengonline.comcen.acs.org. Key features of Graphitic’s process are detailed below.

Reactor Design and Configuration

Graphitic’s current reactor design is a circulating fluidized-bed reactor, which the company chose to overcome heat-transfer limitations that plague many high-temperature pyrolysis systemsgraphitic.com. In this design, solid catalyst particles are circulated between reaction and regeneration zones, enabling continuous operation and scalable throughput. The pilot reactor is relatively large for an R&D unit – intentionally so – in order to gather scale-up data on gas–solids behavior (e.g. particle entrainment, cyclone separation, mass transfer) for designing commercial unitscen.acs.org.

Notably, Graphitic’s earlier design involved a “molten-media” bubble column reactor where methane was bubbled through a liquid medium, and an external molten salt chamber was used to combust hydrogen to supply heatchemengonline.com. While innovative, that approach yielded carbon that was too amorphous and impure to be valuablecen.acs.org. The company has since switched to a solid catalyst/fluidized-bed configuration, which has proven more effective at producing high-quality carbon. The circulating fluidized-bed architecture also allows a single process train to be scaled up to large capacities (the company projects up to ~100,000 metric tons H₂ per year per train)globenewswire.com, avoiding the small-reactor modularity that other pyrolysis approaches requiregraphitic.comgraphitic.com.

Catalyst and Operating Conditions

Graphitic’s process is catalytic. The company uses an undisclosed solid catalyst that plays a dual role: it catalyzes methane decomposition and also facilitates an in situ combustion of a small portion of hydrogen to provide the necessary reaction heatcen.acs.org. In other words, some of the H₂ product is oxidized on the catalyst (using oxygen) to release heat directly within the reactor, eliminating the need for external electric heaters or fossil fuel burnerscen.acs.org. This clever integration of a catalytic combustor avoids CO₂ generation because burning hydrogen produces only water. It also simplifies heat management, since heat is generated where it’s needed. The catalyst composition has not been publicly disclosed, but it is likely a robust high-temperature material (or coated particle) that can withstand cyclic exposure to methane and oxidizing conditions. Graphitic has patented aspects of this methane pyrolysis method, though specifics remain proprietarycen.acs.org.

Thanks to the catalyst, Graphitic’s reactor operates at a relatively low temperature for methane cracking: under 800 °Cgraphitic.com. (Non-catalytic thermal pyrolysis usually requires >1200 °C for decent CH₄ conversiongraphitic.com.) Operating below 800 °C allows Graphitic to use conventional materials of construction and reduces equipment stressgraphitic.com. The operating pressure has not been explicitly stated, but fluidized-bed methane pyrolysis is often run near atmospheric or slightly elevated pressures for kinetic reasons. By controlling temperature and residence time, Graphitic can achieve high methane conversion without coke fouling; indeed, thousands of hours of lab-scale runs showed no carbon buildup that would foul the systemgraphitic.com.

Hydrogen and Carbon Products

Hydrogen: The output hydrogen is expected to be high-purity turquoise hydrogen (essentially carbon-free H₂). After methane cracks, the product gas is mainly H₂ with any unconverted CH₄ and minor byproducts. Graphitic reports hydrogen yields close to the stoichiometric maximum, with very high conversion of methanechemengonline.com. Any unreacted methane can be recycled. Because no CO or CO₂ are formed in the reactor, the hydrogen stream does not require a water-gas shift or CO₂ removal – only separation from residual methane and removal of water (from H₂ combustion) are needed. The firm claims a hydrogen purity >99% after conventional gas cleanup, given that nearly all feed carbon is converted to solid carbon rather than to gaseous impuritieschemengonline.comchemengonline.com. The pilot plant hydrogen is produced at “several hundred kilograms per day” scalecen.acs.org, and plans envision single trains producing on the order of 10^5 tons H₂ per yearglobenewswire.com, demonstrating confidence in the H₂ production aspect.

Carbon: A standout feature of Graphitic’s process is the solid carbon byproduct, which is a high-crystallinity graphitic carbon (graphite). CEO Zach Jones notes the process yields graphite that can serve as a domestic source of battery-grade carboncen.acs.org. The carbon forms as fine solid particles in the reactor. These are continuously removed via cyclones and filters, separating them from the gas streamchemengonline.com. Because of the moderated temperature and catalyst choice, the carbon is highly crystalline – essentially synthetic graphite – and does not require further thermal treatment (graphitization) to be used in high-value applicationsgraphitic.com. This is a major advantage: the carbon can be sold as-is for uses in EV battery anodes, conductive additives, lubricants, refractories, etc.cen.acs.orgglobenewswire.com. Graphitic emphasizes that its carbon is valuable and easily transportablegraphitic.com, turning what could be a waste disposal issue into a revenue stream. By pivoting away from the earlier liquid-media approach, Graphitic improved the carbon purity (minimizing catalyst or solvent contamination). An external analysis notes that the old liquid catalyst system produced carbon too impure and amorphous to have value, whereas the new process yields crystalline graphite with significantly higher puritycen.acs.org. In short, Graphitic’s solid carbon management involves continuously extracting graphite particles and sending them for packaging/use without need for purification or post-processing.

Energy Efficiency and Carbon Footprint

Graphitic’s design is tuned for energy efficiency. Rather than rely on large electrical power inputs (as in plasma or induction pyrolysis), Graphitic uses a portion of the chemical energy of the methane itself to drive the reaction. Specifically, a fraction of the produced hydrogen is burned (catalytically) to supply the endothermic heat of pyrolysisgraphitic.com. Burning hydrogen yields water vapor, not CO₂, so direct carbon emissions are essentially zeroglobenewswire.com. The process only consumes a small amount of electricity for auxiliary systems (pumps, controls)graphitic.com. Importantly, the energy content of the hydrogen product far exceeds the heat input needed: Methane pyrolysis thermodynamically requires ~59% of the heat that steam methane reforming (SMR) does per kg H₂, and only ~13% of the energy per kg H₂ compared to water electrolysischemengonline.com. This means even after sacrificing some H₂ as fuel, Graphitic can achieve a high overall energy efficiency. In practical terms, using a portion of H₂ (which has ~242 kJ/mol combustion energy) to drive a reaction needing ~75 kJ/mol yields a favorable energy balance. The company has stated that only a small fraction of the hydrogen (on the order of perhaps 10–20%) is consumed for process heat, though exact numbers depend on heat recovery efficiencies.

Carbon footprint: The process has virtually no direct CO₂ emissionsglobenewswire.com. The only carbon leaving the process is in solid form. If powered by grid electricity, there is a minor indirect footprint (<1 kg CO₂ per kg H₂, from upstream power generation)chemengonline.com, but if powered by renewable or by the process’s own H₂, the footprint is near zero. Graphitic proudly notes that no carbon capture or offsets are needed – the carbon is already captured as a stable solid. The solid carbon itself can serve as a carbon sink if sequestered or as feedstock for materials, avoiding re-release of CO₂. Overall, Graphitic’s hydrogen is a clean “turquoise” hydrogen with a carbon intensity far below “blue” hydrogen (SMR with CCS) or grid-powered electrolysischemengonline.com. By extracting the carbon from natural gas before combustion, the process essentially prevents CO₂ formation at the source.

Commercial Scalability and Deployment Status

Graphitic Energy’s approach is designed for industrial scale-up. Thanks to the fluidized-bed reactor design, the process can be scaled to very large single-train capacities (tens of thousands of tons H₂ per year)globenewswire.com, which is on par with conventional hydrogen plants. The use of standard materials (due to <800 °C operation) and a proven fluidized-bed configuration gives confidence in scaling. Graphitic specifically highlights that, unlike many small modular pyrolysis units, their technology “can be deployed at world-scale with a single process train”graphitic.com, avoiding the complexity of numbering-up many small reactors.

Current status (2024–2025): Graphitic commissioned a pilot plant in 2024 located at Southwest Research Institute (SWRI) in San Antonio, Texascen.acs.orgglobenewswire.com. This pilot operates continuously (24/7) and is capable of producing on the order of 1 metric ton of solid carbon per day and a few hundred kilograms of H₂ per daycen.acs.orgglobenewswire.com. It was built to demonstrate the technology at scale and to generate product samples. The pilot is funded by venture investments (including Breakthrough Energy Ventures) and is scheduled to run through end of 2025globenewswire.comglobenewswire.com. Graphitic reports that the pilot (“Lighthouse 1”) has already logged thousands of hours with no carbon fouling, validating the core chemistrygraphitic.com.

Looking ahead, Graphitic is in the engineering phase for a first commercial plant. Front-end engineering design (FEED) studies are underway, targeting a “First-of-a-Kind” commercial unit with final investment decision in 2026graphitic.com. The company is evaluating sites and expects to down-select by end of 2025graphitic.com. They project this first commercial plant to produce on the order of 10,000–100,000 metric tons of H₂ per year (with proportional carbon output)graphitic.com. A second commercial plant is envisaged by 2029graphitic.com. To accelerate deployment, Graphitic formed a strategic partnership with Technip Energies, a major engineering firm, in 2025globenewswire.comglobenewswire.com. Technip is lending its expertise in hydrogen plant design and fluidized-bed engineering to help standardize and scale up Graphitic’s technology globallyglobenewswire.com. This collaboration and Graphitic’s growing pilot data indicate a clear path toward commercialization. In summary, Graphitic Energy’s methane pyrolysis is at pilot scale (since 2024), moving quickly toward full commercial deployment, with an emphasis on large-scale, economically competitive hydrogen production without subsidiesglobenewswire.comglobenewswire.com.

Hazer Group’s Methane Pyrolysis Process

Hazer Group (based in Perth, Australia) has developed what is known as the Hazer Process – a catalytic methane cracking method using iron ore as the catalyst. Hazer’s approach was originally pioneered at the University of Western Australia and is distinguished by its use of low-cost raw iron ore to produce hydrogen and synthetic graphite. The process is likewise positioned as a “turquoise” hydrogen route with solid carbon co-production. Key technical aspects of Hazer’s process are outlined below.

Reactor Design and Configuration

Hazer’s process utilizes a fluidized-bed reactor (FBR) for methane pyrolysis**promotion blocked**.com.au. Fluidized beds are a familiar, scalable technology in the refining and metallurgical industries, and Hazer adapted this concept for methane cracking**promotion blocked**.com.au. In the reactor, methane (or biogas) feedstock is introduced and contacts finely divided iron-ore catalyst particles that are fluidized by the gas flow. The company has experimented with reactor configurations to optimize conversion and product purity. Patent literature indicates a possible cascade of fluidized-bed reactors in series, where catalyst flows by gravity from one stage to the next, each subsequent stage at higher pressure and temperaturepatents.google.com. This “cascade” design would allow nearly complete methane conversion and progressively higher purity graphite formationpatents.google.com. However, the current implementation at demonstration scale is effectively a single fluidized-bed reactor unit (with provisions for continuous catalyst addition and product removal) rather than multiple reactors.

Inside the reactor, the fluidized iron catalyst particles provide a large surface area for methane decomposition. Iron has an interesting role: methane dissociates on metallic iron, with carbon initially dissolving into the iron particle and hydrogen gas being releasedchemengonline.comchemengonline.com. The iron can absorb a certain amount of carbon (forming iron carbide phases). When the iron becomes supersaturated, solid carbon precipitates out as graphitic flakes on the particle surfacechemengonline.com. This mechanism – carbon dissolving then precipitating – is key to forming high-crystallinity carbon. It also helps to limit carbon fouling on reactor walls, since carbon tends to deposit on the iron rather than on the vesselchemengonline.com.

Hazer’s reactor operates continuously, with continuous or periodic injection of fresh catalyst and withdrawal of spent catalyst/carbon. In testing, they demonstrated stable operation with controlled catalyst feeding into the bed**promotion blocked**.com.au. A cyclone and filtration system downstream separates entrained solids (carbon and any fine catalyst) from the hydrogen gas streamchemengonline.com. The solid carbon product and used iron catalyst are collected for further handling. Hazer’s design likely includes provisions to remove carbon from the iron catalyst (to recycle the iron) or to replenish catalyst as it gets deactivated or trapped in product. The patent suggests that using raw iron ore (Fe₂O₃) provides not just the metal for catalysis but also other mineral content that might assist in carbon release and prevent sinteringpatents.google.com. The reactor is heated initially to get the process started and to maintain the required temperature (details on heat supply are discussed later).

Overall, the configuration is a catalytic fluidized-bed methane pyrolysis reactor. This is broadly similar in concept to Graphitic’s fluidized-bed, but Hazer’s is non-circulating (the catalyst mostly stays in the reactor, aside from makeup and withdrawal) and uses a specific iron-based catalyst that participates directly in the chemistry. The choice of a fluidized-bed was deliberate for scalability – as Hazer’s CEO noted, FBRs are proven, continuous-process reactors that can be scaled up in industry**promotion blocked**.com.au. Hazer has protected various aspects of its reactor design and process, with over 70 patents/applications covering its technology**promotion blocked**.com.au.

Catalyst and Operating Conditions

The catalyst in the Hazer process is low-grade iron ore, which serves as an abundant and cheap source of ironchemengonline.compatents.google.com. Typically, the ore is an iron oxide (such as hematite or magnetite) that is ground to a specific particle size and treated to a certain moisture contentchemengonline.com. When introduced into the methane environment, the iron oxide is reduced in situ by hydrogen (either added initially or produced from initial methane cracking) to form metallic iron on the particlechemengonline.com. This reduction step is actually exothermic (Fe₂O₃ + H₂ → Fe + H₂O releases heat), which helps heat the reactor. Once active iron is available, it catalyzes the decomposition of methane into hydrogen and carbon, as described earlier. The overall catalytic sequence can be summarized as per Hazer’s patentpatents.google.compatents.google.com:

1. Reduction: Fe₂O₃ + 3H₂ → 2Fe + 3H₂O (iron ore to iron, using some H₂; H₂ could be initially supplied or recycled).

2. Methane decomposition: CH₄ → C_(dissolved in Fe) + 2 H₂ (carbon dissolves into iron, hydrogen gas released).

3. Carbon precipitation: Fe–C (saturated) → Fe + C_(graphite) (carbon comes out of solution as solid graphite once iron is supersaturated)chemengonline.compatents.google.com.

The presence of iron drastically lowers the required temperature for methane cracking compared to a purely thermal process. Hazer’s process typically runs at 800–900 °Cluxresearchinc.compatents.google.com, with about 850 °C often cited as an optimal point. This is consistent with patent disclosures that the reaction is preferably conducted between 700 °C and 950 °C, more preferably ~800–900 °Cpatents.google.com. In some configurations, they have noted it could be done even at 650–750 °C with trade-offs in conversionpatents.google.com, but in practice ~850 °C is used to ensure high methane conversion and good quality graphite. The operating pressure is not explicitly noted in public sources; however, a higher pressure can favor methane decomposition thermodynamics. The patent mentions possibly running subsequent reactors at higher pressure to improve yieldspatents.google.com. The current demo plant likely operates near atmospheric pressure for simplicity, with future designs considering moderate pressurization.

No additional externally supplied catalyst (like nickel or other metals) is needed – the iron itself is the catalyst and also effectively a reactant (since it cycles between oxide, metal, and carbided states). This use of raw ore means the catalyst cost is low, and makeup catalyst can be added economically to replace any losses. The iron ore’s gangue (impurities like silica, alumina) might aid by providing structural support or preventing iron sintering, which could be one reason Hazer emphasizes “low grade” ore being acceptablepatents.google.com.

One challenge is that as carbon accumulates on the iron particles, it might slow methane access to iron sites. Hazer likely manages this by continuously moving the particles (fluidization causes attrition that can knock off carbon) and by periodically removing carbon-laden particles. The process may include a regeneration step to oxidize off excess carbon or to regenerate catalyst, but Hazer’s goal is to keep the carbon as product, so they avoid burning it. Instead, the focus is on achieving a steady state where iron retains activity and carbon is continually harvested as graphite.

In summary, Hazer’s catalyst is Fe-based (derived from Fe₂O₃ ore), and the reactor operates around 850 °C in a fluidized regime. The iron catalyst both lowers the required cracking temperature (versus >1200 °C for thermal)chemengonline.com and influences the carbon to form as graphite. The controlled temperature also mitigates unwanted pyrolytic carbon formation on reactor walls, a problem in hotter reactorschemengonline.com.

Hydrogen and Carbon Products

Hydrogen: The Hazer process produces hydrogen gas with no CO₂ byproduct (all carbon is solid). The raw product gas emerging from the reactor is mostly H₂, but will contain some unconverted methane, plus steam (H₂O) from the iron oxide reduction step and any other light gases. Hazer’s design likely includes a gas separation/purification step to deliver fuel-grade hydrogen. In the demonstration plant, after the cyclone removes solids, the gas may pass through a condenser to remove water (from H₂O produced during catalyst reduction). The remaining H₂/CH₄ mixture can be processed by pressure swing adsorption (PSA) or membrane to separate hydrogen. Hazer has indicated that their process can achieve high H₂ yields and expects the economics to be competitive with conventional SMR with carbon capturechemengonline.com. Although exact purity is not published, we can infer they target >99% H₂ purity so that the hydrogen can be used (for instance, some of it is used in a fuel cell on-site). Indeed, in the demo plant, a portion of the hydrogen is routed to a hydrogen fuel cell to generate power for the facilityresearch.csiro.auresearch.csiro.au. Fuel cells require high-purity H₂ (typically >99.9% dry H₂), implying Hazer has a purification step to polish the hydrogen product. The volume of hydrogen from the demo is modest: the Commercial Demonstration Plant (CDP) capacity is ~100 tons H₂ per yearresearch.csiro.au, which is about 0.27 tons per day of H₂. This equates to roughly 270 kg H₂ per day output at full capacity. Future commercial Hazer plants are anticipated to be larger (discussed later). The hydrogen produced is described as clean, low-emissions hydrogenglobenewswire.com suitable for industrial use or fuel.

Carbon: The solid carbon product from the Hazer process is graphitic carbon, essentially synthetic graphite. Hazer often refers to it as “graphite” or “graphitic carbon.” The carbon precipitates on iron catalyst particles in the form of graphite flakes or layerschemengonline.com. These carbon deposits can detach as particles of graphite, or the catalyst particles may become encapsulated by graphite. The product stream leaving the reactor (after separation) is a mixture of graphite powder and remaining iron-based particles. Hazer’s downstream process includes cyclone separation and filtration to collect the solid carbon productchemengonline.com. The aim is to produce a high-purity graphite suitable for commercial applications. Indeed, a key objective of the CDP long-duration runs in 2024 was to produce “commercially representative, high-purity graphite” for partner testinghydrogen-central.com**promotion blocked**.com.au. Applications envisioned for Hazer’s graphite include steelmaking (as a carbon additive or replacement for coke), battery anodes, water purification, thermal energy storage, concrete/asphalt reinforcement, and morechemengonline.com. For each of these, purity requirements vary, but for batteries, very high purity (>99% C, low metals) is needed, whereas for steel or concrete some impurities (like iron) might be tolerable or even beneficial.

One technical consideration is catalyst contamination in the carbon product. Since iron is present, some iron or iron oxide could end up mixed with the graphite. Hazer has to minimize this to market the graphite. Possible strategies include magnetic separation (to remove iron from graphite) or acid leaching of the product to dissolve iron. The patent’s concept of multiple reactors in series might also help produce purer carbon: e.g. the later stages could allow more carbon growth with less iron carryoverpatents.google.com. In practice, Hazer reported that by Q4 2024 they achieved their longest continuous run with stable production of high-purity graphite, indicating success in managing impurities**promotion blocked**.com.au. The graphite produced in the demo will undergo quality verification for consistency before being sent to partners like Mitsui for evaluationhydrogen-central.com.

In summary, Hazer’s carbon product is synthetic graphite in solid form. The process intentionally produces graphite (crystalline) rather than amorphous carbon, thanks to the iron catalyst and controlled conditionschemengonline.com. The carbon is continuously extracted from the reactor, and the process is tuned to maximize carbon quality (sometimes requiring additional optimization campaigns**promotion blocked**.com.au). Both Hazer and Graphitic thus produce graphitic solid carbon, but Hazer’s comes with iron that must be separated; Graphitic’s carbon is catalyst-free out of the reactor. Both companies see the carbon not as waste but as a co-product that can offset hydrogen production costs.

Energy Efficiency and Carbon Footprint

Like all methane pyrolysis, Hazer’s process is energetically favorable compared to water electrolysis or SMR with CO₂ capture. The reaction CH₄ → C + 2H₂ is endothermic (~74.5 kJ/mol CH₄). Hazer’s catalyst lowers the temperature needed (to ~850 °C) but heat still must be supplied. In Hazer’s pilot/demonstration, the heat is supplied by an external source – likely by burning a portion of the feed biogas or product gas in a furnace/heat-exchanger. In project descriptions, a “heat-exchange vessel” was fabricated for the CDPresearch.csiro.au, suggesting a fired heater or similar that provides thermal energy to the reactor. Because the demo plant is sited at a wastewater treatment facility with excess biogas, it can utilize some of that biogas (which would otherwise be flared) to provide heat, effectively with no net increase in CO₂ emissions (since flaring would produce CO₂ anyway). In a commercial setting using natural gas, Hazer could similarly burn a small fraction of methane or hydrogen to heat the process. The company has not publicized the exact thermal efficiency, but qualitatively: methane pyrolysis uses much less energy per H₂ than electrolysis, and Hazer’s CTO has stated that splitting CH₄ requires “drastically lower energy” than splitting H₂Ochemengonline.com. This translates to lower operating costs and emissions.

One innovative aspect is that the Hazer demo plant includes a hydrogen fuel cell system to generate electricity on-site using some of the produced H₂research.csiro.auresearch.csiro.au. This serves two purposes: (1) it provides renewable electricity to help run the plant’s pumps, controls, etc., reducing the need for grid power, and (2) it demonstrates utilization of the hydrogen product in a clean way (fuel cell). By using the plant’s own hydrogen for power, Hazer effectively recycles a bit of the product for self-sustainability. This is analogous to Graphitic’s use of a fraction of H₂ for heating, except Hazer’s fraction is used for electricity. Importantly, using a portion of H₂ for heat/power means the net hydrogen output is slightly reduced, but it avoids using external fossil energy. In the CDP, the design can utilize up to 2 million m³ of biogas per year that would otherwise be wasted (flared)research.csiro.au, with a portion converted to H₂ and a portion possibly burned for heat. Any CO₂ from burning that biogas is biogenic (carbon-neutral in lifecycle terms).

Carbon footprint: Hazer’s methane pyrolysis is essentially CO₂-free at the point of reaction – all carbon in CH₄ becomes solid carbon. There are no direct carbon emissions from the core process (hence “low-emission hydrogen” in their descriptionglobenewswire.com). If the heat is supplied by burning some of the methane feed, that does produce CO₂; however, Hazer’s strategy in the demo is to use biogas, making it close to carbon-neutral or even carbon-negative. Carbon-negative potential arises because the carbon in biogas (which comes from biomass) is captured as solid graphite rather than being released as CO₂. Every ton of biogenic carbon fixed as graphite is a ton of CO₂ not emitted. Thus, using renewable feedstock (biogas/biomethane) Hazer could achieve a net-negative carbon process (removing CO₂ from the atmosphere in effect). Using natural gas feedstock, the process would have a small CO₂ footprint only from whatever portion of gas is combusted for heat. If that portion is hydrogen instead, the footprint drops further. Hazer has indicated that with reasonable energy sourcing, their H₂ can be cheaper than electrolysis and competitive with SMR+CCSchemengonline.com – implicitly, the emissions are far lower than SMR (which emits ~9–12 kg CO₂/kg H₂).

In summary, Hazer’s process is energy-efficient due to the moderate temperature and exothermic catalyst reduction step. It outperforms water electrolysis in energy per kg H₂ and can be competitive with SMR with much lower CO₂ emissionschemengonline.com. By capturing carbon in solid form, it avoids CO₂ generation; any necessary heat can be provided with cleaner options (burning H₂ or renewable gas). The demo plant even showcases integrated hydrogen-to-electricity for running the process. All these factors contribute to a low carbon footprint for Hazer’s hydrogen – essentially zero direct emissions, and potentially net negative when using renewable methane.

Commercial Scalability and Deployment Status

Hazer Group’s technology has progressed through lab and pilot stages and is now in an extended commercial demonstration phase. The company’s Commercial Demonstration Plant (CDP) is located at Woodman Point Wastewater Treatment Plant near Perth, and it is the world’s first larger-scale demonstration of methane pyrolysis to produce hydrogen and graphite simultaneouslyglobenewswire.com. Key details and status:

• Demonstration Plant Scale: The CDP is designed for 100 tonnes of H₂ per year and ~380 tonnes of graphite per year capacityresearch.csiro.au. This is roughly 0.3 tonne H₂ and 1+ tonne C per day, comparable to Graphitic’s pilot scale. It uses biogas from the treatment plant as feed (about 2 million m³/year of biogas available)research.csiro.au. First hydrogen and graphite were produced in late 2023, with continuous operation ramps in early 2024globenewswire.com. By mid-2024, Hazer achieved 240+ hours of continuous stable operation, and later over 450 hours in a single run, demonstrating the robustness of the processhydrogen-central.comresearch.csiro.au. The plant has been operated in campaigns to optimize catalyst handling and graphite quality, hitting uptime of >97% in test runshydrogen-central.com. A minor setback occurred due to a custom heat-exchanger remake in 2022, but by Jan 2024 the plant was started successfullyresearch.csiro.auglobenewswire.com. The CDP is expected to run for around 3 years to prove long-term operation and provide product samplesresearch.csiro.au.

• Scale-Up Plans: Hazer is already working on multiple commercial follow-on projects internationally. They have four key projects in development: with FortisBC in Canada, ENGIE in France/Europe, POSCO in South Korea, and a partnership in Japan with Chubu Electric/Chiyoda**promotion blocked**.com.au. The first large commercial plant is planned in collaboration with FortisBC, under a licensing model – a project development agreement has been signed and engineering is progressing**promotion blocked**.com.au. While exact capacity is not announced, FortisBC had earlier indicated interest in a plant scale on the order of thousands of tonnes of H₂ per year (to supply hydrogen into the natural gas grid in British Columbia). Hazer’s technology is seen as suitable for large-scale industrial hydrogen production for applications like steelmaking, petrochemicals, etc., which require hydrogen in bulk**promotion blocked**.com.au**promotion blocked**.com.au. The company’s CEO has stated they are focusing on accelerating scale-up for “very large scale” applications in hard-to-abate sectors**promotion blocked**.com.au.

• Competitive Position: Hazer considers itself a leader in catalytic methane pyrolysis, given its head start in operating an integrated demonstration. They highlight “unique competitive advantages” such as the low-cost catalyst and the ability to produce a saleable graphite co-product**promotion blocked**.com.au. With dozens of patents filed globally**promotion blocked**.com.au, Hazer has secured IP on the core process. The demonstration plant’s success (first-of-kind operation producing hydrogen and graphite continuously) is a crucial de-risking step. By proving out the reactor design (an adapted fluidized-bed) at CDP scale, Hazer is gathering data to inform the design of commercial reactors with larger throughputs. The company has also attracted strategic partnerships (e.g., a graphite offtake/marketing MOU with Mitsui for graphite applications in steel and chemicalsfuelcellsworks.com). This indicates confidence that the graphite product will find markets.

In summary, Hazer Group’s technology is at TRL (Technology Readiness Level) ~7-8, having moved from pilot to a commercial demonstration plant (operational in 2023-2024). The next step is full commercial deployment via partners, with the first plant likely in Canada in the next couple of years. Their focus on a fluidized-bed (a proven scalable design) and strong interest from global industry players suggests a clear path to scale. Like Graphitic, Hazer’s timeline aims for the first commercial unit by the mid-2020s. The ultimate goal is to deploy the Hazer process for large-scale hydrogen production with co-generated graphite, turning a decarbonization solution into a dual-product business

Part 2 follows