Graforce (Use corona plasma pyrolysis to crack methane into clean hydrogen)

Graforce, a German cleantech company founded in 2012, has developed innovative methods for producing hydrogen and reducing carbon dioxide emissions. The company's primary technology utilizes a high-frequency plasma field generated by renewable electricity to split hydrocarbons such as methane into hydrogen and solid carbon. This process is significantly more energy-efficient than traditional water electrolysis, requiring only one-fifth of the energy to produce the same amount of hydrogen.

Challenges: hydrogen fuel

Hydrogen (H₂), the most abundant element in the universe, is not just a fundamental building block of stars—it's also a vital ingredient in the synthesis of ammonia. Ammonia production is at the heart of creating a plethora of products that we rely on daily, from the fertilizers that nourish our crops to the plastics that are woven into the fabric of modern life.

Traditionally, the world has leaned heavily on steam methane reforming (SMR) to produce over 60 million tons of hydrogen annually. However, this method comes with a significant environmental cost. It's an energy-intensive process that contributes approximately 2% to the global carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions, releasing between 5 and 9 tons of CO₂ for every ton of hydrogen it generates.

Graforce Technology

Graforce has developed an innovative plasma pyrolysis technology that uses a non-thermal corona plasma generated by renewable electricity to crack hydrocarbons, such as methane (CH₄), into hydrogen (H₂) and solid carbon (C). The plasma reactor developed by Graforce utilizes a single plasma electrode to generate corona discharges within the reaction chamber using a high-frequency alternating voltage. This results in a decrease in energy consumption and operational expenses, enabling the production of hydrogen at a lower cost.

How Graforce generates hydrogen from methane

The diagram below illustrates Graforce's plasma pyrolysis reactor, which is used to convert methane into hydrogen and solid carbon.