HAZER Process Low-Emission Hydrogen and Graphite

Hazer Group Limited was founded in 2010 to commercialise technology developed at the University of Western Australia and has been listed on the ASX since December 2015. It offers a way to produce low-emission hydrogen from natural gas without the carbon dioxide released by conventional steam methane reforming.

The HAZER Process uses natural gas or similar feedstocks with unprocessed iron ore as a process catalyst, splitting methane into hydrogen and high-quality graphite instead of CO2. The company has built a Commercial Demonstration Plant in Perth and works with engineering firm KBR as alliance partner for scale-up. It follows a capital-light licensing model: project owners build and operate plants while Hazer licenses its technology and provides engineering services for core process components. The graphite co-product targets steelmaking, asphalt, cement and energy storage.

• Methane pyrolysis: splits natural gas into hydrogen and solid graphite.
• Iron ore catalyst: uses unprocessed iron ore as a low-cost process catalyst.
• Graphite co-product: material for steel recarburising, asphalt, cement and energy storage.
• Commercial demonstration: process proven at a demonstration plant in Perth.
• KBR alliance: engineering partner for global scale-up and execution.
• Licensing and engineering services: technology licence plus core process engineering for owners.

Steel producers in Vietnam could study hydrogen for direct reduction and graphite as a recarburiser. Gas distribution companies could license the process to supply low-emission hydrogen to industrial parks. Road construction firms could test the graphite co-product as an asphalt additive.

Industrial users can obtain low-emission hydrogen from existing natural gas supply without needing carbon capture or large renewable power. The solid graphite co-product creates a second revenue stream; in independent Boral testing, one asphalt formulation reached a Tensile Strength Ratio of 89% versus 81% for the control mix. The licensing model leaves equity and operations with the project owner.

Steelmakers, refiners and utilities need low-emission hydrogen before renewable-powered electrolysis is cheap enough at scale, and turquoise hydrogen from methane pyrolysis offers a bridge using existing gas networks. Japan and Korea are already evaluating such projects, and Vietnam, which has domestic gas supply and growing steel output, faces similar decarbonisation pressure.

Founded in 2010 and listed on the ASX in 2015; core development started with the University of Sydney in 2016. Projects include a FortisBC hydrogen and graphite project in British Columbia under a binding development agreement, Nagoya Clean Hydrogen with Chubu Electric Power and Chiyoda, a POSCO steel decarbonisation collaboration in Pohang, and a Marram Energy Storage Hub concept with EnergyPathways in the UK.