H2 Production and CO2 Mitigation with eXERO Ceramics
Utility Global, the company pioneering the eXERO technology platform optimized to decarbonize hard-to-abate industry sectors, announced that Colorado School of Mines, in partnership with Utility Global, has secured a $150,000 proof of concept award from the State of Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade for a proposal submitted by Dr. Neal Sullivan entitled “Hydrogen production and CO2 utilization with eXERO ceramics.” This grant will significantly accelerate the advancement and commercialization of Utility Global’s eXERO technology and create multiple jobs between Colorado School of Mines and the Utility Global Advanced Technology Center just outside Denver, further accelerating growth of the Center and commercialization of eXERO technology.
This proposal details a collaborative effort between Colorado School of Mines (Mines) and Utility Global to advance the performance of Utility Global’s eXERO technology for H2 production and CO2 mitigation and will utilize significant infrastructure at the Colorado Fuel Cell Center. In partnership with Mines’ scientists, faculty, and students, Utility Global will characterize eXERO performance across broad temperature and pressure ranges optimizing electrochemical operating parameters and properties of the eXERO platform. The work leverages a one-of-a-kind, high-pressure test stand built at Mines.
“Our eXERO technology is unique to the industry and enables the significant decarbonization of a range of end-use markets, including steel, chemicals, liquid fuels, mobility and biogas,” stated Dr. Stefan Reinartz, chief technology officer of Utility Global. “The equipment and expertise available through Colorado School of Mines enable high-pressure operation of eXERO ceramic cells, thereby advancing the capabilities of the technology. Support through this program extends and expands our combined research effort and moves our eXERO technology closer to the commercial marketplace.”
The eXERO (Electroless Coupled Exchange Reduction Oxidation) technology platform simplifies the electrolysis process by eliminating the need for electrical connects and external circuitry in the reactor – a new “green” paradigm. Without the requirement for electricity, the platform eliminates the entire electrical infrastructure from renewable source through to the electrolyzer and the reactor internals – allowing the platform to process dilute offgas streams into H2 in a single reactor and thereby decarbonize existing infrastructure and processes.
“Furthering the eXERO platform’s performance will greatly expedite commercialization and ability for multiple industrial sectors to gain access to superior clean and economical H2 production and CO2 abatement strategies,” stated Dr. Neal Sullivan, professor of Mechanical Engineering at Colorado School of Mines. “Utility Global’s eXERO platform is one of the top technologies available today – tested and proven – to effectively decarbonize industrial sectors.”
A smarter transition
Utility Global has developed and commercialized a new way to produce gas which is cleaner, more affordable and more compatible with existing infrastructure. Its eXERO™ technology decarbonizes many challenging industrial processes while complementing existing operations and business goals. eXERO™ removes both the need for renewable electricity for electrolysis and the complexity of existing hydrocarbon processes—while combining the benefits of both.
Unlike electrolysis that relies on renewable energy to be green, eXERO™ works with the inherent energy in waste gases to drive conversion—eliminating the need for electricity. However, as a solid oxide-based system, eXERO™ produces high-purity product directly from the proprietary reactor, also eliminating costly purification required by traditional hydrocarbon processes. Combined with the ability to flexibly process dilute and variable waste gases, the eXERO™ technology provides a performance package that is truly differentiated.
How eXERO™ works
The Electroless Coupled Exchange Reduction Oxidation technology platform, eXERO™, capitalizes on both the advantages of electrochemical processes, which yield high product purity without the need for expensive purification steps, and chemical processes, which have comparatively low capital and operating costs, especially avoiding the losses of electricity generation and transmission. The eXEROTM technology platform is achieved by removing the external electrical circuit from an electrolyzer and instead driving the electrolysis reaction with the overpotential (voltage) that exists between different gas compositions. Similar to a conventional solid oxide electrolyzer, oxygen ions are transferred from the cathode to the anode through an oxygen ion-conducting electrolyte. However, unlike a conventional electrochemical reactor, electrons are transferred from the anode to the cathode through an electronically conducting phase within the electrolyte, also known as a mixed conducting electrolyte.
