Hazer holds intellectual property rights to a chemical engineering process, developed at the University of Western Australia, to turn natural gas into hydrogen.
While the use of natural gas “cracking” to create hydrogen has been well researched since the 1960s, the “Hazer Process” has two key differentiators that Hazer believes will allow it to become commercially viable.
Rather than discarding the carbon byproduct generated through the process as waste, it is used to create saleable graphite, as well as the hydrogen, which in turn creates substantially lower carbon dioxide emissions.
It also uses iron ore as an alternative catalyst to other more expensive materials, reducing the cost and complexity of the process.
Global hydrogen production in 2014 was estimated at over 64 million tonnes, at a total value of more than US$100 billion.
The most significant geographic markets were Asia (43%) and Europe (23%).
It is used primarily used in the petroleum refining process to crack heavy hydrocarbons to produce liquid fuels, and as a feedstock for ammonia production.
Hazer’s strategy in this space will be to target the growing markets for low-cost synthetic graphite with high-purity and crystallinity – which are connected to the expansion of the electric vehicle industry.
The Hazer approach is prospective in that it will pursue the commercialisation of clean technology which is less expensive and more energy efficient.
The company’s core technology will achieve this by using natural gas (instead of independent primary clean energy supplies) and iron ore to produce clean hydrogen and synthetic graphite products destined for growing global battery markets.
‘Goals for commercialisation’
The company and UWA have applied for three patents associated with the process.
Hazer believes there is scope for the “clean technology” to replace the standard method of hydrogen production. Hydrogen is a key feedstock for ammonium nitrate production which is used in fertiliser and explosives.
“Wesfarmers are quite a big player in hydrogen production in Australia so this is potentially a technology that offers a cleaner cheaper way to do it for them,” Mr Pocock said.
www.smh.com.au/business/mining-and-resources/wesfarmers-mineral-resources-back-hazer-group-float-201…
www.afr.com/news/special-reports/resources/hazer-says-new-process-ready-for-commercialisation-201509…
www.nexttechstock.com/hazer-ipo/
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