Hycamite has joined the SPIRIT programme through their newly launched SUSCAPO project, which aims to produce low-carbon hydrogen and high-value solid carbon by splitting methane using proprietary technology. Sonja Vermeulen from Hycamite tells us more about Hycamite and the SUSCAPO project which has recently received funding from Business Finland as part of the initiatives in the SPIRIT programme.
Producing low-carbon hydrogen to meet industrial demands
Since its inception in 2020, Kokkola-headquartered Hycamite has been on a mission to decarbonise industries with low-carbon hydrogen and high-value carbon. Marketing Manager Sonja Vermeulen from Hycamite explains that based on years of applied chemistry research at the University of Oulu, Finland, the company developed a proprietary process for decomposing thermocatalytically large volumes of methane into its component elements – hydrogen and carbon – without releasing greenhouse gases into the atmosphere.
Now Hycamite provides industries with cost-efficient, low-carbon hydrogen and high-quality carbon around the globe. Hycamite builds decarbonisation plants next to the end client’s industrial plants. The plants will be owned and financed by Hycamite, which makes investment costs low for the end client.
Low emissions make a difference
Hycamite can produce hydrogen from biomethane, methane from natural gas, by-product methane or synthetic methane. . The Hycamite technology requires only 13% of the energy needed to produce hydrogen via electrolysis.
One of the significant advantages of Hycamite’s process is its environmental benefits. Traditional hydrogen production methods, such as steam reforming, release 9 kg of carbon dioxide (CO2) per kilogram of hydrogen produced. In contrast, Hycamite’s oxygen-free method results in zero CO2 emissions but instead produces 3 kg of solid carbon per kilogram of hydrogen. If biogas is used as a methane source, the end products with solid carbon from the process act as carbon sinks.
Hycamite’s strength is its quick scaling. Methane is already available everywhere. Hycamite can build plants, based on modular solutions, quickly and in large numbers. There is no need to wait for excess renewable energy to be available.
Hycamite will build decarbonisation plants next to end clients’ industrial plants worldwide, eliminating the need for new infrastructure. Natural gas consumers can transition gradually to hydrogen. To achieve this, methane splitting starts with a limited proportion of hydrogen. When the client, machinery and infrastructure are ready, the share of hydrogen in the gas mixture can be increased.
Furthermore, compared to the EU’s Green Hydrogen projects, which rely on water electrolysis, Hycamite’s technology is also fast to deploy. A Hycamite plant takes approximately nine months to construct.
High-value carbon products for demanding use
The process simultaneously produces high-value carbon products with hydrogen. Graphite and other high-value carbon products are electrically conductive, making them ideal for battery production, supercapacitors, electronics, additives in polymers and composite materials. They can also be used for the steel industry and concrete manufacturing.
During their life cycle, Hycamite carbon products cause low greenhouse gas emissions. In the future, they will be manufactured close to the customer who needs them, helping to ensure the security of supply. Production can be easily scaled up. Hycamite can easily modify the high-value carbon products produced in the process by changing the catalysts and process parameters.
The largest methane-splitting hydrogen plant in Europe to begin operations in 2024
In Kokkola Industrial Park, the company runs a pilot plant, and now it is also constructing an industrial-scale facility with grand opening celebrations planned for later this year. The new plant aims for an annual production capacity of 2 kilotonnes of hydrogen and 6 kilotonnes of carbon. The new facility will showcase the viability of Hycamite’s technology at an industrial scale and will serve as a proof-of-concept for future expansion, particularly targeting the U.S. market.
Scaling the technology is straightforward due to the speed of plant construction. With future plans focused on the U.S. market, where regulation is more technologically neutral and natural gas use is prevalent, Hycamite sees vast opportunities for collaboration with local partners.
Borealis and SPIRIT programme welcome the collaboration
The company is also working with Borealis on producing clean hydrogen. This is of high interest to Borealis’s plastic processing and links the project to the SPIRIT programme. Asset Transformation Manager Mikko Rönkä from Borealis highlights that Hycamite’s technology can help to utilise excess by-product methane and turn it into valuable products with minimal carbon emissions. Product hydrogen can be used for renewable and circular feed processing or as carbon-free fuel. Carbon black is used as UV protection in polyolefin solutions for infrastructure applications, such as pipes, as well as in jacketing in wire and cable applications. Sustainability Project Manager Sanna Martin from Borealis points out that carbon structure design plays an important role also in semiconductive compounds specifically designed for medium-high and extra-high voltage cable systems requiring improved grounding.
Niina Grönqvist, VP, Carbon Products and one of the founders of Hycamite, emphasises the company’s mission to decarbonise industries. With such innovative technology and strategic partnerships, Hycamite is well on its way to making a significant impact on sustainable industrial practices. According to her, the company now plans to grow rapidly, as there is high demand for Hycamite’s solution worldwide and customers are particularly interested in the cost-effectiveness and low emissions of Hycamite’s solution.
More information: www.hycamite.com
Photo by Hycamite (Ulla Nisonen)