Monolith's pyrolysis technology meets US DOE's requirements

The company cleanly produces essential materials utilized by a wide variety of industries including hydrogen, ammonia and carbon black. Carbon black is a material found in many everyday products but is perhaps most commonly known for its use in tires. Leading tire manufacturers including Goodyear and Michelin expressed their support for the DOE's conditional approval and Monolith's technology.

In addition to carbon black, its methane pyrolysis process creates cost-effective clean hydrogen. As the world builds a roadmap to decarbonisation, the energy density of clean hydrogen fuel has been recognised as one of the critical paths to creating a green world. Shipping, aviation, long-haul trucking, energy storage and clean steel production are areas with the potential to rely on clean hydrogen fuel. Monolith also expects to use much of the clean hydrogen produced from its Olive Creek expansion for the production of cleanly made ammonia that will be distributed in the US Corn belt to help feed a growing national and world population.

Title XVII of the Energy Policy Act of 2005 (42 U.S.C. Sec. 16511, et. seq.) provides authority for the DOE to guarantee loans for projects that 'avoid, reduce, or sequester air pollutants or anthropogenic emissions of greenhouse gases; and employ new or significantly improved technologies as compared to commercial technologies in service in the US at the time the guarantee is issued'. Current conventional processes to create carbon black release large amounts of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. Through Monolith's methane pyrolysis technology, the company is able to prevent an estimated 2.3 t of CO₂ from being released for every t of carbon black produced. With its production of cleanly made hydrogen, carbon black and ammonia, Monolith expects that its Olive Creek expansion will prevent one million tons of greenhouse gas emissions from entering the atmosphere each year compared to traditional manufacturing processes. While this conditional commitment demonstrates DOE’s intent to finance the project, several steps remain, and certain conditions must be satisfied before a final loan guarantee is issued.

The company's expansion is expected to generate significant economic development, starting with approximately 1000 jobs to support facility expansion. Once completed, the facility will generate around 260 direct and 600 indirect, high-paying, highly skilled, green energy jobs to support its operations.

Once completed, Monolith's expanded Olive Creek plant is expected to be the one of largest carbon black production facilities in the US, producing an estimated 194 000 tpy. The construction of this innovative facility is expected to be performed by Kiewit, one of North America’s largest and most respected engineering and construction organisations.

Read the article online at: https://www.globalhydrogenreview.com/hydrogen/04012022/monoliths-pyrolysis-technology-meets-us-does-requirements/