Hydrogen production through steam methane reforming (SMR) – the current industry standard for large-scale H2 production – emits significant GHG emissions, which are costly to mitigate using carbon capture sequestration (CCS).
Ekona Power Inc. is a Burnaby-based company that is developing a novel methane pyrolysis solution for clean hydrogen production.
The company’s solution converts natural gas into hydrogen and solid carbon, thereby reducing CO₂ emissions when compared with conventional processes. Ekona’s unique pyrolysis reactor uses the principles of combustion and high-speed gas dynamics to dissociate feedstock methane.
The solution is low-cost, scalable, easy to integrate, and leverages existing natural gas infrastructure to deliver a practical solution for clean hydrogen that can be deployed at the customer site or blended into the natural gas network to reduce downstream emissions.
Ekona is currently assembling a test and demonstration system at its Burnaby facility. The system is designed to produce 200kg/day of hydrogen and will evaluate reactor performance and system integration. With funding support from NorthX, this project extends Ekona’s development efforts by expanding its existing system to incorporate new reactor designs, process improvements, advanced controls, and monitoring capabilities, as well as an evaluation of the solution for natural gas decarbonization markets in BC.
