Australian company Carbon280 has launched a pilot project to demonstrate a new liquid storage solution that  it says has the potential to be a “gamechanger” for the emerging natural hydrogen sector.

The firm’s Hydrilyte technology is capable of separating hydrogen from helium, allowing the  hydrogen to be stored under ambient conditions, ready for transportation to end-users.

Natural hydrogen occurs mixed with other gases that need to be separated. Helium is one of these gases and very hard to separate from hydrogen because of their similar molecular size.

Hydrilyte’s ability to separate and store in a single step, “facilitates the monetisation of both hydrogen and helium for natural hydrogen developers”, Carbon280 said.

“Natural hydrogen in combination with Hydrilyte will be gamechanging for the use of hydrogen across all industries, including energy, by slashing costs and simplifying handling,” said Mark Rheinlander, founder & CEO of Carbon280.

“Rather than transporting a highly flammable gas, you are storing and transporting a safe, low-cost liquid that stores hydrogen under ambient conditions. Low-cost and ease of handling will simplify and speed the implementation of hydrogen projects globally, enabling hydrogen use in applications and geographies with less sophisticated infrastructure,” he said.

Hydrilyte can be stored and transported using existing liquid fuels infrastructure, including pipelines, tankers and ships.

The pilot project in Kwinana, Western Australia, which includes with laboratory facilities, was funded through a $10.6m seed investment led by Australian energy company Woodside Energy with support from UK-based renewable energy company Hive Energy and a Singaporean family office, alongside a forecast $5.5m in R&D rebates from the Australian government.

Carbon280’s pilot project launch comes amid growing interest globally in tapping reserves of natural hydrogen.

Australian natural hydrogen developer HyTerra gave a bullish update on its McCoy1project in Kansas on 18 August. It said mud gas samples from the well had confirmed hydrogen concentrations of up to 83% and helium up to 5%.

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Author: Stuart Penson