Completed Clean Energy Materials & Manufacturing

Hydrogen and Value-Added-Carbon production through Waste Heat Recovery: Hy-Value Recovery

In plain English

AI plain-English summary

A steel or glass factory’s waste heat will soon be used to split methane into clean hydrogen and a carbon material that strengthens electric vehicle batteries and shields them from electromagnetic interference. This matters because the UK’s steel and glass industries currently rely on “grey” hydrogen—made from natural gas in a process that releases carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. The project’s demonstrator, called the Torstran Production Demonstrator, will instead use waste heat to convert renewable or waste methane into near-zero-CO2 hydrogen. That hydrogen then replaces grey hydrogen as a process gas in manufacturing. The process also produces a carbon product, Torstran, which has immediate uses: as an electromagnetic shielding component in electric vehicle composite structures, as a lithium-ion battery additive, and potentially in conductive coatings and air filtration. If the demonstrator succeeds, it could shrink the carbon footprint of foundation industries like steel and glass while supporting the UK’s growing electric vehicle supply chain. The project also creates high-value jobs in the St Helens region, with further growth expected as demand from the EV sector increases.

View original technical description
This collaborative project will develop, build and operate an industry scale demonstrator, the Torstran Production Demonstrator. It will use waste heat from steel and glass manufacturing to demonstrate the ability to convert renewable/waste methane into hydrogen for use as a process chemical in steel and glass manufacturing. The Torstran Production Demonstrator also produces a high value carbon product Torstran. Torstran is used as an Electro Magnetic Shielding (EMI) component in electric vehicle (EV) composite structures, and as a Li-ion battery additive further contributing to the low carbon economy. Torstran also has potential for use in conductive coatings and air filtration. Successful delivery of this project will contribute significantly to allowing the UK industry to achieve its environmental targets. This will be achieved by reducing the carbon footprint of the foundation industries (initially steel and glass making), replacing 'grey' hydrogen process gas (used as a reducing atmosphere) with near-zero CO2 hydrogen and contributing to the development of electric vehicle manufacturing in the UK. The project will immediately create high value jobs in the St Helens region with significant job growth anticipated as demand from the electric vehicle and other sectors increases.

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Related Research

Grants with similar aims, by meaning.

Delivering Green Hydrogen
Low cost catalytic conversion of methane to high purity hydrogen for use in the Foundation Industries
Sustainable, circular economy hydrogen production by valorisation of electrolyser waste heat for the purpose of direct seawater desalination
Biogas powered electrolysers for green hydrogen production, compression and creating a localised supply chain.
CWTCH - Contaminated Water To Clean Hydrogen

Original classification

Demonstrator

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