Clean hydrogen from biogenic waste, solid carbon as a co-product.
PYRAH2 delivers a pioneering integrated solution through a multi-stage process that converts biogenic waste and renewable gases into high-purity hydrogen and high-value solid carbon. The process begins with autothermal gasification of non-fermentable organic waste to produce syngas, followed by biological methanation to generate biomethane, and culminates in high-pressure plasma-assisted pyrolysis at 1200°C, which decomposes biomethane into zero-direct-CO₂ hydrogen and solid carbon with over 90% carbon recovery efficiency.
This fully circular pathway surpasses conventional methods like steam methane reforming or electrolysis by achieving energy consumption below 15 kWh per kg of hydrogen, hydrogen purity above 98% (ISO 14687 Grade A), and carbon yield exceeding 50% for industrial applications in tyres and steel production. Deployed as an industrial pilot plant advancing from TRL 4 to TRL 7, PYRAH2 ensures scalability, process stability via internal hydrogen recycling, and secured market uptake through partnerships with end-users
PYRAH2 builds an integrated platform that converts biogenic waste into hydrogen and solid carbon through a four-stage process:
Biogenic waste is converted into syngas through autothermal gasification. The syngas contains hydrogen, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide and minor components, and it is conditioned to remove impurities before biological conversion.
In the biomethaniser, CO, H₂ and part of the CO₂ are converted into methane and water by microbial organisms under mild conditions.
Water is removed from the biomethanation outlet stream, and most of the remaining CO₂ is removed in a dedicated CO₂ separation step, producing a methane-rich stream for the next stage.
The methane-rich stream is converted in a pressurised plasma reactor into hydrogen and solid carbon (very high methane conversion is targeted). Hydrogen is then purified for industrial use, and solid carbon is collected for application testing.
All steps are integrated into a single installation. A portion of the pressurised gas stream is recycled to supply hydrogen needed by the biomethanation step, supporting process stability and efficiency.
PYRAH2 will construct and operate a full-scale industrial pilot plant at HyChem’s site in Portugal, advancing the integrated process from TRL 4 to TRL 7. The modular demonstration facility will process 48 kg/h of biogenic waste to produce 30 kg/h of renewable hydrogen at >98% purity (ISO 14687 Grade A) and 184 kg/h of solid carbon, validated over 3000+ operating hours at ~30% capacity factor. NECTA leads engineering, procurement, construction, and commissioning (WP5), while WtEnergy, TerraWatt, and Plenesys validate gasification (1156 kg/h syngas), biomethanation (40 Nm³/h biogas), and pyrolysis (>99% CH₄ conversion) at pilot scale (WP4). Industrial uptake is secured through off-take agreements: HYC consumes the hydrogen, GOODY tests solid carbon in tyre manufacturing, and ARCMI validates it for low-emission steel production. Comprehensive testing (WP6) will confirm energy use below 15 kWh/kg H₂, LCOH ≤3 €/kg, and ~80% GHG reduction versus fossil benchmarks (WP7)
PYRAH2 delivers environmental benefits through zero-direct-CO2 hydrogen production via plasma pyrolysis, sequestering up to 90% of carbon as solid products and avoiding 2,958 t CO2eq/year versus fossil benchmarks. It supports EU policies like Fit-for-55 and RED III by valorising biowaste, reducing landfill emissions, and enabling low-carbon fuels for hard-to-abate sectors.
Economically, the process targets LCOH below €3/kg H2 by 2030, 30-50% lower than electrolysis alternatives, with revenue from solid carbon sales in tyres and steel. By 2040, 10 replicated plants could produce 3 kt H2/year, avoid 2.96 kt CO2eq/year, and create 150 green jobs.
Industrial impacts include TRL7 validation of integrated gasification-biomethanation-pyrolysis, secured off-take by HYC, GOODY, and ARCMI, and strengthened EU value chains in waste-to-energy and decarbonised materials.
