Hypersonic Technologies is turning methane into hydrogen and carbon black

Hypersonic Technologies is designing a process that converts methane and biomethane into hydrogen and solid carbon. The hydrogen could help industries reduce emissions, while the carbon can become carbon black for tyres, rubber, pigments, and other uses. Producing both outputs gives the process two potential revenue streams.

The company uses staged-plasma pyrolysis. Plasma supplies very high temperatures that break hydrocarbons apart. In this case, methane becomes hydrogen and solid carbon rather than producing hydrogen alone. Hypersonic combines dielectric plasma with microwave plasma in two stages, which the company says may improve efficiency and stability.

The technology is aimed at oil refineries, steel, cement, and fertiliser producers. Its prototype is at TRL 5 and produces about 500 grams of hydrogen per hour at IIT Madras. The company wants to scale toward five kilograms per hour and prove the process works reliably and economically.

Staged-plasma pyrolysis is a high-temperature process for breaking hydrocarbons into simpler products. For Hypersonic Technologies, the feedstock is methane or biomethane, and the intended outputs are hydrogen and solid carbon. This matters because the process can make a useful fuel alongside a useful industrial material.

The company uses two plasma stages rather than one. Dielectric plasma and microwave plasma work in sequence, exposing the methane to intense energy. That energy breaks the methane apart, sending its hydrogen into one product stream and its carbon into a solid stream. The company says the staged design may improve efficiency and make operation more stable.

This is still an emerging technology, not a fully commercial system. Hypersonic’s prototype is at Technology Readiness Level 5, meaning it has been validated in a relevant environment. Its lab-scale unit at IIT Madras produces around 500 grams of hydrogen per hour.

Hypersonic Technologies’ current lab-scale prototype produces around 500 grams of hydrogen per hour. The system operates at IIT Madras and has reached Technology Readiness Level 5, meaning it has been validated in a relevant environment. This places the technology beyond an early laboratory idea, but short of commercial deployment.

The next target is five kilograms of hydrogen per hour. Reaching that level would require a larger pilot plant and further testing. The company estimates it needs around Rs 5 crore to move from TRL 5 to TRL 7. It also plans to seek government support and use funding, including its Carbon Zero Challenge grant.

The increase from 500 grams to five kilograms per hour represents a tenfold rise in hydrogen output. Hypersonic says it wants to establish that larger plant before pursuing orders from refineries and steel companies. Reliable, economical operation at that scale will be crucial for industrial adoption.

Producing carbon black alongside hydrogen is central to Hypersonic Technologies’ business model. Hydrogen is the main clean-energy product, but carbon black is also commercially useful. It is used in tyres, rubber, pigments, and other industrial applications. Selling both materials could create two revenue streams from one feedstock and process.

The mechanism is straightforward: plasma pyrolysis breaks methane or biomethane into hydrogen and solid carbon. The solid carbon can then be developed into carbon black grades for industrial use. Hypersonic is exploring higher-value grades and has discussed possible collaborations with established carbon black manufacturers.

This matters because industrial customers are highly sensitive to cost. Revenue from carbon black could help offset the expense of producing hydrogen and make the overall system more attractive. The company still needs to show that its carbon black meets market needs and that both products can be made reliably at larger scale.

Steam methane reforming, a widely used hydrogen-production method, can emit around 10 kilograms of carbon dioxide for every kilogram of hydrogen produced, according to Kandasamy. Hypersonic Technologies is pursuing a different route. Its plasma process aims to convert methane into hydrogen and solid carbon, avoiding the same direct carbon dioxide output described for steam methane reforming.

The key mechanism is methane decomposition at very high plasma temperatures. Instead of turning the carbon into carbon dioxide, the process separates it as a solid product. That solid carbon can potentially be processed into carbon black for pigments, tyres, rubber, and other uses. Methane that might otherwise be flared could become feedstock.

The emissions benefit remains a goal that must be demonstrated at scale. The prototype is at TRL 5, and the company is seeking funding to reach TRL 7. Its larger pilot must prove that hydrogen and carbon black can be produced consistently, affordably, and with the intended emissions advantages.

Hypersonic Technologies is targeting oil refineries, steelmakers, cement companies, and fertiliser manufacturers. These industries are under pressure to reduce emissions, and the company sees hydrogen as a possible part of that effort. Its process could also supply carbon black, giving industrial users another potentially valuable output.

New facilities may adopt the technology more easily because their equipment and processes have not yet been fixed. They can assess plasma pyrolysis during design and compare it with conventional options. Existing plants have already invested heavily in infrastructure. Replacing that equipment or changing the production system could be expensive and disruptive.

Kandasamy says industrial adoption will depend largely on cost. Hypersonic is considering equipment sales, operating partnerships, and payments linked to output. The company first wants a five-kilogram-per-hour plant and the required validation. It then hopes to pursue orders from refineries and steel companies.

Methane is the hydrocarbon feedstock that Hypersonic Technologies processes. Hydrogen is the main intended energy product, because the article describes it as a fuel that could help industries cut emissions. Carbon black is the solid carbon product. It has manufacturing uses in tyres, rubber, pigments, and other applications.

In the company’s system, staged-plasma pyrolysis applies very high temperatures to methane or biomethane. The methane is split into hydrogen and solid carbon. The hydrogen can support industrial decarbonisation, while the solid carbon can be developed into carbon black. This gives one process two outputs instead of treating carbon only as a waste or emissions problem.

Their importance is therefore connected. Methane supplies the material, hydrogen supports the energy goal, and carbon black creates potential commercial value. Hypersonic is targeting refineries, steel, cement, and fertiliser. The technology remains at TRL 5, so larger-scale reliability and economics still need to be demonstrated.