A single reactor turns wet food waste and farm leftovers directly into hydrogen, biomethane, and a carbon-rich charcoal without first drying or chemically pre-treating the feedstock. Current green hydrogen production relies on scarce platinum-group metals and suffers from degrading membranes, while biomethane from anaerobic digestion requires intensive pre-treatment that limits scale. This patented Rising Pressure Reformer (RiPR) uses supercritical water—water heated and pressurised beyond its boiling point so it behaves like both a liquid and a gas—to break down diverse wet organic materials in a rotating batch reactor. The process is energy self-sufficient because it captures and reuses its own heat. If the 18-month demonstrator proves scalable, the technology could produce cost-competitive hydrogen and biomethane for hard-to-decarbonise sectors such as steel, cement, and heavy transport. Wild Hydrogen aims to deploy five to six commercial plants by 2032, potentially cutting CO₂ emissions by millions of tonnes annually while reducing reliance on centralised energy infrastructure and scarce materials.
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Wild Hydrogen Ltd aims to revolutionise green energy production with its Rising Pressure Reformer (RiPR), a patented Supercritical Water Gasification (SCWG) platform. RiPR converts minimally treated wet organic feedstocks, such as agricultural residues and food waste, into hydrogen, biomethane, biochar, and captured CO2. The grant will fund an 18-month project to develop a demonstrator capable of processing kilogram-scale feedstock batches, improving integration with advanced gas purification systems, and validating scalability with third-party oversight. This phase will refine energy recovery mechanisms and operational designs, setting the stage for industrial deployment. **Need** The UK faces critical challenges in green hydrogen and biomethane adoption due to high production costs, technological limitations, and reliance on constrained feedstocks. Current hydrogen production technologies, such as Proton-Exchange-Membrane electrolysers, depend on scarce platinum-group metals, suffer membrane degradation, and create fluoropolymers with regulatory concerns. Similarly, anaerobic digestion systems for biomethane struggle to scale due to intensive pre-treatment requirements and feedstock constraints. **Novelty** RiPR leverages SCWG's unique chemical properties to process diverse wet feedstocks without energy-intensive pre-treatment. Its batch-based approach, rotating reactor design, and integrated heat recovery make it energy self-sufficient, cost-effective, and carbon-negative. The platform's flexibility enables decentralised deployment, reducing reliance on centralised infrastructure and fossil fuels in hard-to-abate sectors like steel, cement, and heavy transport. **Market and Impact** The UK green hydrogen market is projected to grow to £2.9 billion by 2030 (HEA, 2024), with the UK targeting 10 GW of capacity. RiPR's ability to produce cost-competitive hydrogen and biomethane offers a transformative solution aligned with UK Net Zero goals. By 2032, Wild Hydrogen aims to deploy 5-6 RiPR plants, generating significant revenue and reducing CO2 emissions by millions of tonnes annually. This proposal aligns with UK government objectives to decarbonise energy and scale innovative solutions, offering a significant return on investment in environmental, economic, and societal terms.
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