A new process is working on turning landfill gas into hydrogen AND nanofibers.

Catalyx Nanotech, Inc., says the pilot project has started at a closed southern California landfill.

“Our advantage is that we are able to produce nanofibers at greater than 99% purity, as well as 100% green hydrogen in a one-step process,” says Yinan Jin, Catalyx Nanotech Chief Research Scientist. “Purification of nanomaterials from typical carbon batches is an extremely expensive undertaking for commercial applications. Catalyx Nanotech is eliminating the extra work and, consequently, the expense of separating nanofibers from byproducts, such as amorphous carbon, soot, etc., that make nanomaterials so costly today. We expect to commoditize nano-scale graphite materials at prices comparable to high quality synthetic graphite used in electrodes and refractory applications. After some preliminary test runs, we will also integrate a small fuel cell to demonstrate how the electrochemical reaction of hydrogen and oxygen can produce electrical energy, as opposed to the
direct combustion of hydrogen and oxygen to produce thermal energy. This in situ generation of green electricity with a zero-carbon footprint is just one possible use of the hydrogen.”

Company officials say one of the biggest assets of the process is that it will make hydrogen more affordable and available… key if the country wants to move forward in a hydrogen-based economy.

You can read more at the Catalyx Nanotech Web site.