Advanced MaterialsAdvanced Materials

Structural, High Value Carbon and Hydrogen from Natural Gas

Huntsman Merrimack/Advanced MaterialsPI Dave Gailus (dgailus@nanocomptech.com)

Total project cost: $4.3M

Length 32 mo.January 14th, 2021

Demonstrate the technical and economic potential for using the Miralon™ process to

produce hydrogen and high value carbon at the megaton scale.

Project Objective:

Huntsman Merrimack--Our Team and Resources:

• 34 employees, roughly half Scientists, Engineers and Technicians

• 16 reactors for production and R&D

• 200,000 sqft. facility with extensive in-house material characterization and process development capability.

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Deepak Varshney, PhD

Carbon Chemist

Rachel Stephenson, PhD,

Analytical Chemist

Dimitri Tselepidakis, PhD,

CFD Modeling

Jeff Littlefield

Process Development

Dave Gailus (PI)

Process Engineering

Jan Bartus, PhD

Polymer Chemist

CONSULTING TEAM AND EXTERNAL PARTNERS

Resource Individuals Contribution

Impact Technologies Alain Bourhis, PhDDave Steckler

Reactor designChemical process modeling

Pi Orbital Warren Knoff, PhD High strength materials

Camanoe Associates Richard Roth, PhD (MIT)Randy Kirchain, PhD (MIT)Elizabeth Moore, PhD (MIT)

Process Economic and Environmental Analysis

Neotericon Mark Banash, PhD Synthesis, carbon chemistry, analysis

Volta, LLC Professor Ravi Datta (WPI) Hydrogen Separation

Florida State University Professor Richard Liang Metrology and characterization

AL International Frank Ross, PhD Technology to Market Analysis

Steve Strand, PhD ASPEN, Reaction modeling

c

Fuel Continuous CNT Growth & Agglomeration Product Harvest

• Continuous flow

• “Catalyst” is “consumed”*

• CNT growth and agglomeration (gas to solid product) <6 seconds

Miralon™ FC-CVD Process Overview

Iron

vapor

Hydro-

carbons

Fe Vapor condensation

Adjuvant

decomposition

Carbon source

Decomposition

Adjuvant

Catalyst

precursor

Carbon

source

*Not subject to fouling typical in pyrolysis

Miralon FC-CVD Process

• Hydrocarbon is converted to long CNT’s

• Long CNT’s entangle and condense, acting like a polymer

• H2 biproduct is discarded.

7

Miralon™ Process:

Originally developed for spacecraft shielding and body armor

ARPAE target to increase production by 500,000 X and use both the H2 and carbon

Major Tasks:

• Techno-economic and environmental analysis for the process at the megaton scale (1400 tons/day H2)

• Increase single pass CH4 conversion efficiency >80%

• Demonstrate >500 MPa carbon product strength & experimentally verify positive H2 production

• Design a 1000 ton/year reactor

Project Concept and Objectives

Can this process be competitive with SMR at utility scale

but with lower CO2 generation?

Project Status—Starting the final of three phases

ID Task Name2019 20212020

MarJanApr Jun JulApr MayAugJul Dec

1 Kickoff

2 1000 MTA conceptual design package

9Engineering package for Preliminary 1000 MTA reactor and

support systems

10 Structured experiments for strength

12Final Report on market assessment and go-to-market plan

for Hydrogen and Miralon at scale.

NovOctMay Jul SepSepAug Nov Aug OctMayMarSep FebFeb Jun DecJan Jun AprOctDec Nov

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4 Miralon and Hydrogen Market/Enronmental Assessment

5Go-no-go Milepost 1: Methane to >60%, Miralon strength

>0.25 GPa, Iron contant <20%, SV 500/hr

6 Reactor conversion efficiency, strength and SV optimization

Go-no-go Milepost 2: Methane to Miralon conversion >80%,

strength > 0.5 GPa, Iron <20%, 1000/hr SV, Positive H2

production (experiment)

15

13

14Final Go-no-go milepost: 80% CH4 to Miralon conversion,

0.5 GPa, Iron<20%, 75% h2 recovery w. 25% net production.

Final report including TEA to show progress to 2$/kg

Miralon and <$2/kg H2 at scale

Environmental Impact Study

Technology transfer and outreach11

7 Continued market assessment, applications development,

3 Residence time, C13, recycle and conversion experiments

Progress Since Last Year

10Hydrogen and High Value Carbon from Natural GasJanuary 28, 2021

SV--Process Intensification

• We modified one reactor to run at elevated pressure.

• Confirmed hydrogen production and conversion efficiency.

• Pressure impacts morphology.

• .25GenD reactor is complete and is in shakedown phase—optimization to follow.

11Insert Presentation NameJanuary 28, 2021

Challenges

• Catalyst efficiency & hydrogen separation (SLiMM for testing, assume PSA for ASPEN model)

• Intensification—Looking for an existing, high pressure, high temperature facility

• Megaton carbon applications—CarbonHouse is providing valuable target specs.

• Need a more complete techno-economic model that includes:

• Downstream operations, matrix materials, life cycle for carbon products.

Tech to Market—Status

• Industry interest is grouped into four segments.

• Discussions taken place with:• O&G Majors

• VC’s

• Government/Industry consortia

• Interested in collaborations in each area

Engagement continues, slowed slightly by CV-19 and economic conditions.

Huntsman is increasing internal investment

High Volume

Structural Carbon

Utility Scale H2

Decarbonization

for low GHG energy

Flare Gas Remediation

Technology to

Market

Inse

rt Pre

sen

tatio

n N

am

e Our goal:

• Engage stakeholders in each of the four areas.

• Collaborate on technologies that convert Miralon™ into products

What do we need?• Labs, agencies or organization with access to elevated

pressure, high temperature reactor hardware.

• We are recruiting for a few positions.

January 28, 2021 14

Thanks To the ARPA-E Team for sponsorship and guidance on the project

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