Imagine turning wet organic waste into a high-tech fuel and a solid carbon brick. This process uses a special catalyst made from waste to split biomethane into clean hydrogen gas and a solid carbon material called biocoal. Instead of releasing CO2 into the air, the carbon is trapped in the biocoal and then locked away inside steel.
The steel industry is a hard-to-abate sector producing 2 tons of CO2 per ton of steel. Current green hydrogen production is often too expensive to compete with fossil-fuel processes.
A proof-of-concept reactor designed for biomethane catalytic cracking using a waste-derived biocoal catalyst.
If you are a steel mill dealing with high CO2 emissions and expensive fossil coke — this project developed a biocoal substitute that replaces metallurgical coke. This allows you to reduce greenhouse gases and stay compliant with the EU ETS.
If you are a waste processor dealing with wet waste streams — this project developed a catalytic pyrolysis process that converts these streams into green hydrogen and carbon. This turns a waste liability into two high-value industrial commodities.
If you are a biomethane producer dealing with the high cost of green hydrogen production — this project developed a disruptive catalytic cracking method using cheap waste-derived catalysts. This creates a more cost-competitive route to green H2.
The project aims to make green hydrogen cost-competitive with traditional fossil-based processes by using a very cheap, waste-derived carbon catalyst for biomethane cracking.
Based on available project data, the process is being validated in a specifically designed and built proof-of-concept reactor, indicating it is currently at the validation stage rather than full industrial scale.
Based on available project data, the project focuses on the development and validation of a new waste-derived catalyst, but specific licensing terms are not provided.
The process is designed to be EU ETS compliant by replacing fossil coke with biocoal and sequestering CO2 in solid form, supporting the Fit-For-55 package.
The project notes that the EU steel sector needs new low-CO2 technologies to be developed for decarbonization within the next 5-10 years.
The consortium is a balanced mix of 7 partners across 5 countries, with a 29% industry ratio (2 industrial partners). The leadership by Politecnico di Torino and the inclusion of 3 universities and 1 research center suggest a strong R&D focus, while the presence of an SME and industrial partners ensures the technology is being developed with market application in mind.
Contact Politecnico di Torino (HES department)
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