PYRAH2 is proud to announce its official entry into the European Hydrogen Innovation Cluster (#EUH2cluster), marking a significant milestone in strengthening international collaboration and accelerating innovation in hydrogen technologies.
The PYRAH2 project tackles Europe’s need for sustainable and cost-effective hydrogen and carbon-based products, amid climate change and increasing energy demand. Existing hydrogen production methods — like steam methane reforming, coal gasification, and water electrolysis — depend on fossil fuels or are too costly and energy-intensive, and none recover solid carbon as a valuable co-product.
PYRAH2 offers an integrated platform that converts biogenic waste and renewable gases into high-purity hydrogen and solid carbon through a four-stage process: autothermal gasification and syngas conditioning, syngas biomethanation, CO2 separation, and plasma-assisted methane pyrolysis. This process transforms diverse organic waste into bioproducts and carbon-negative energy carriers, surpassing current technologies.
The process is based on technologies developed by leading EU startups (WtE, Terrawatt, Plenesys) and world-class research teams at Polimilano and DTU, covering all steps from biowaste valorization to biomethane splitting with high-pressure plasma at 1200°C. It produces zero-emission hydrogen and solid carbon, avoiding 9 to 14 kg CO2 per kg of H2. This route achieves over 90% carbon recovery, converting solid carbon into an industrial product, reducing waste, and improving economic viability. Industrial partners like GoodYear and ArcelorMittal will test this output in tyre and steel production.
In order to ensure TRL advancement from 5 to 7, a full-scale pilot will be built at the site of chemical industry HyChem, with bioenergy-specialized EPC company Necta leading the plant assembling and commissioning. The PYRAH2 valorisation pathway is fully aligned with Europe’s policy objectives on sustainability and competitiveness, including RED III, the EU Hydrogen Strategy and the Fit for 55 package. It provides a circular, scalable, and competitive solution for advancing a sustainable model of hydrogen production.
Follow the progress of the European Hydrogen Innovation Cluster on social media with the #EUH2Cluster.
