Monolith expanding, marketing ‘green hydrogen' technology

PITTSBURGH—As the world collectively focuses on carbon neutrality targets, it's homing in on high-energy, low-emissions sources. And according to Monolith Inc., that means "green hydrogen," something the company has a lot of these days.

So Monolith, best known industry wide for its sustainable carbon black, is shifting gears with a marketing rebrand that emphasizes all the ways it helps its customers make their supply chains—and products—a little more sustainable. The effort, built around the tagline, “The Hydrogen to Power a Green World,” offers a chance for the company to market all of the products that result from its proprietary methane pyrolysis process: hydrogen, ammonia and carbon black.

"We have a really good environmental story," Chris Cornille, chief commercial and supply chain officer for Monolith, said at the recent International Elastomer Conference in Pittsburgh. "So when you look at the 2050 decarbonization road maps for various countries—and ultimately for companies—GHG (emissions) obviously are a huge component for that. We see (hydrogen) as a really good solution, (and) we can make both carbon black and hydrogen emissions-free."

The Lincoln, Neb.-based company claims to be the first U.S.-based company to manufacture clean hydrogen on a commercial scale. It's the direct result of the methane pyrolysis process, which uses renewable energy in the manufacture of carbon black. To do so, Monolith uses a natural gas feedstock. When "superheated" by electricity, the carbon and hydrogen bonds of the natural gas molecules are broken down, and the pairs of hydrogen atoms and carbon atoms are moved through separate chambers.

The carbon is further processed into carbon black, while "green hydrogen" is directed to end users, with applications for hydrogen trucking, aviation and marine fuel, chemical production, agriculture and energy storage.

Monolith estimates that, as the world transitions to more sustainable energy forms, green hydrogen is likely to account for 20-25 percent of that new energy. Renewable energy and battery storage should account for about half of new energy, Monolith said, with other sources making up the remainder.

The company also contends that pyrolysis is one of the most sustainable and cost-effective forms of hydrogen production. Steam methane reforming, Monolith said, releases 11 tons of CO2 for every ton of hydrogen produced. Electrolysis, meanwhile, uses seven times more electricity in the production of hydrogen than the pyrolysis process used by Monolith.

With that in mind, Cornille pointed to the company's Hallam, Neb., plant to illustrate just how effective the technology is. That facility, dubbed Olive Creek I, produces 14,000 tons of carbon black annually. But the 5,500 tons of hydrogen produced there matters, too.

"We are the only company in the world at scale making green hydrogen," Cornille said, "and we needed the world to know that. That was a big part of the rebranding."

But that is just the start for Monolith, which is in the midst of adding production with a 36.5-acre expansion project known as Olive Creek Phase II.

Monolith also is poised to take production global, saying Oct. 13 that it had signed a memorandum of understanding with SK Inc. to pursue a joint venture for the production of clean hydrogen and carbon black in South Korea.

"Climate change is requiring markets around the world to dramatically transform their energy systems and, in a broader sense, their value chain as a whole to reduce adverse impact on the environment," Moohwan Kim, SK executive vice president, said in a statement. "SK Inc. plans to collaborate with Monolith to expand its technologies globally and support our goal of creating new models for clean energy."

The partnership with SK stems from a recent round of investments in Monolith's pyrolysis process. In June, Monolith said it had received investments from a group that included SK, NextEra Energy Resources L.L.C. and Perry Creek Capital. At that time, Monolith said SK would help with expanding global markets.

NextEra Energy Resources, meanwhile, is expected to be a key partner in expanding Monolith's North American footprint.

"Monolith believes that for a global challenge like decarbonization, global collaboration is needed," Monolith CEO Rob Hanson said in the Oct. 13 news release. "We're eager to continue our collaboration with SK Inc. to ensure cleanly produced hydrogen and carbon products are available around the world."