H Quest interesting report

Source: Home

We are developing a transformational process to derive advanced carbon materials, including graphene and carbon fiber, from low-cost, abundant resources: natural gas and coal.

Our proprietary low-temperature plasma conversion process can transform these materials in a fraction of a second. This process has no CO2 emissions and can be deployed at orders of magnitude lower costs than conventional chemical plants employing legacy technologies.
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Source_2: ‘We will make zero-CO2 hydrogen from natural gas so cheaply we could give it away for free’ | Recharge

US start-up H Quest says its emissions-free microwave plasma pyrolysis technology will turn methane into H2 and high-value solid carbon or petrochemicals — with these “co-products” alone making projects profitable, writes Leigh Collins
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The thermodynamic costs of steam reformulation of methane-to-hydrogen and CO{2} is expensive. But this new approach claims to have a found a microwave solution. In theory, this should be more efficient as the methane plasma is selectively stimulated to break the carbon-hydrogen bonds. This may unlock affordable hydrogen and value-added hydrocarbon production instead of CO{2}.

I've read reports of tunable masers and synchrotrons capable of a wide range of frequencies at respectable power. I've long thought this might be a key to chemical processes that might more efficiently breakup complex chemicals or promote desirable reactions at the fraction of the energy cost. In effect, a tunable catalyst.

It sounds like H Quest may have broken the code (about TIME!) But the cost of methane-to-hydrogen is only part of the cost equation and we don't know the thermodynamics of their processes. But it is promising.

Bob Wilson

ps. There are other hydrogen costs beyond hydrogen manufacturing.

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