Carbon-negative hydrogen production in New Zealand
Te whakaputanga hauwai waro-kore i Aotearoa
Carbon-negative hydrogen production in New Zealand
The CH4 Zero NZ project is being developed around a fully integrated process that combines agricultural resource recovery, renewable methane production and plasma methane pyrolysis to produce two valuable products: low-carbon hydrogen and solid carbon.
The proposed production pathway has been designed to maximise resource efficiency while integrating biological conversion, gas processing and advanced thermal technology within a single industrial platform.
The process described below represents the current project development concept and will continue to be refined through feasibility studies, engineering design, technology evaluation and commercial development.
Process Flow
An Integrated Circular-Economy Production Pathway
01
Dairy Farming
Resource Origin
The process begins on participating New Zealand dairy farms. Recoverable dairy manure and Farm Dairy Effluent (FDE) represent the primary biological resources.
02
Feedstock Collection & Logistics
Recovered organic material is transferred through project-defined collection, storage and transport systems. Considering infrastructure, logistics, and quality.
03
Anaerobic Digestion
Organic material enters controlled anaerobic digesters where microorganisms convert matter into biogas under oxygen-free conditions.
04
Biogas Production
The digestion process produces raw biogas consisting primarily of Methane (CH₄) and Carbon dioxide (CO₂).
05
Biogas Upgrading
Raw biogas is upgraded to produce renewable methane. Gas-treatment systems remove CO₂, moisture, and other impurities.
06
Renewable Methane Storage
Renewable methane is temporarily stored and conditioned before entering the hydrogen production process, ensuring feed stability.
07
Plasma Methane Pyrolysis
CH₄ → C + 2H₂
Within the reactor, methane molecules are thermally decomposed into Hydrogen and Solid Carbon without producing CO₂ emissions.
Parallel Product Streams
LOW-CARBON HYDROGEN
08 — Hydrogen Recovery
Hydrogen is separated from process gas and prepared (purification, drying, compression) for commercial use.
09 — Hydrogen Distribution
Supplied for heavy transport, industrial heat, manufacturing, and future export networks.
SOLID CARBON
10 — Carbon Recovery
Solid carbon is separated from the reactor system for processing.
11 — Carbon Processing
Material processing including drying, classification, purification, and packaging.
12 — Product Characterisation
Recovered carbon is analysed for physical properties and particle characteristics.
13 — Customer Qualification
Evaluation for applications like carbon black, conductive materials, and advanced composites.
PROCESS INTEGRATION
The project integrates three principal technology platforms
Biological Platform
Dairy manure
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Anaerobic digestion
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Biogas
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Renewable methane
Thermal Conversion Platform
Renewable methane
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Plasma methane pyrolysis
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Hydrogen + Solid Carbon
Product Platform
Hydrogen
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Solid Carbon
Purification
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Processing
Compression
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Characterisation
Distribution
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Commercial qualification
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VALUE CREATION MODEL
Agricultural Resource
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Renewable Energy Carrier
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Industrial Conversion
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Dual Commercial Products
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Industrial Markets
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Circular Resource Utilisation
PROCESS DESIGN PHILOSOPHY
The proposed process has been designed around six engineering principles.
Resource Recovery
Recover agricultural organic resources suitable for productive industrial use.
Continuous Operation
Provide stable renewable methane supply through feedstock management and buffer storage.
Integrated Processing
Combine biological conversion and advanced thermal technology within a single industrial platform.
Product Quality
Develop hydrogen and carbon products that meet future customer requirements.
Operational Reliability
Integrate process control, instrumentation and engineering redundancy where appropriate.
Responsible Development
Support engineering excellence, environmental integrity and commercial bankability throughout project development.
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Dairy resource recovery
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Biogas production
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Plasma methane pyrolysis
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Product conditioning
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Environmental systems
ENGINEERING SYSTEM BOUNDARY
The current project concept includes:
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Feedstock logistics
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Gas upgrading
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Hydrogen purification
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Utilities
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Anaerobic digestion
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Renewable methane storage
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Carbon recovery
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Process control
Engineering boundaries will continue to evolve during Front-End Engineering Design (FEED) and detailed engineering.
TECHNOLOGY MATURITY
The project combines technologies at different stages of industrial maturity.
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Agricultural feedstock recovery
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Anaerobic digestion
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Biogas upgrading
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Gas storage and conditioning
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Plasma methane pyrolysis
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Hydrogen purification
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Carbon processing
Overall system integration, equipment selection and commercial configuration remain subject to ongoing engineering development and technology due diligence.
Hydrogen Recovery
Compression & Storage
Hydrogen Markets
IMPORTANT TECHNICAL DISCLOSURE
The process flow presented on this website illustrates the intended project architecture.
It should not be interpreted as a final Process Flow Diagram (PFD), Piping and Instrumentation Diagram (P&ID) or Issued-for-Construction engineering drawing.
Final process configuration, equipment suppliers, operating parameters, utilities, control philosophy and plant capacity will be established during detailed engineering, technology selection and project execution.
Suggested Interactive Diagram Layout
Dairy Farm
Feedstock Collection
Anaerobic Digestion
Biogas
Biogas Upgrading
Renewable Methane Storage
Plasma Methane Pyrolysis
Carbon Recovery
Processing & Characterisation
Industrial Carbon Markets