The world is looking to decarbonize transportation and industrial processes, and hydrogen has been identified as an energy carrier with key benefits over electricity in applications where a chemical fuel is needed. At present, hydrogen is primarily produced by the steam reforming of natural gas, which results in the production of CO2. With hydrogen demand expected to increase dramatically, there is an urgent need to develop new low-cost and low-carbon technologies for hydrogen production.
Aurora Hydrogen is developing a technology that uses efficient microwave energy to heat natural gas in the absence of oxygen and water (pyrolysis) to produce hydrogen and solid carbon while avoiding the generation of CO2. The technology is highly scalable and modular, units can be installed anywhere there is natural gas and electricity. Hydrogen production using Aurora's technology has the potential to reduce global CO2 emissions by over 500 million tonnes per year.