Through its BP Ventures subsidiary, the oil group has helped to raise funds for a US start-up that seeks to use waste heat from industry to produce low-carbon hydrogen at a cost of $1 per kilo. The other partners are Clean Energy Ventures, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and GVP Climate.

Promoters of green hydrogen will choke if they venture to the website of Advanced Ionics. It says that green hydrogen is “too expensive.” Their solution is different from what is currently available on the market. Instead of using water electrolysis, or steam at 800 degrees, this player uses symbiotic electrolysers. They use waste heat from 100 degrees (and more when possible) and far less electricity (35, or even 30 kWh per kg). If you’re not aware of it yet, you should know that electricity accounts for 70% of the bill. Besides, the company’s electrolysers do not use platinum, iridium or fluoropolymer membranes.

Electrodes are the key point here

This is probably why BP and other partners are investing $12.5 million. The company, which presents itself as a newcomer with an innovative spirit, was founded in 2017. Its CEO is Chad Mason, an engineer who helped develop the fuel cell at General Motors and made some research on catalysis while at the University of Arizona. But he also worked on batteries, as did his team. You should know that Bloomberg and TechCrunch have also mentioned the young company.

The equipment developed by Advanced Ionics stands out for its electrodes, which have unique configurations but which use conventional components already available on the market.

To date, the start-up has completed a pilot project for another oil company, Repsol. As for BP, it claims that Advanced Ionics has the “potential to reduce costs and disrupt the hydrogen market.”

Do you want to learn more about electrolysis and hydrogen? Then our latest 2 articles on the subject should interest you. You can read them here and there. 

Article written by Laurent Meillaud and translated by Logan King