Under a strategic collaboration, the two companies plan to deploy thermal plasma electrolysis (TPE) units at Agile’s Thainstone facility in Inverurie, which will process up to 200,000 tonnes of industrial and municipal waste per year.

Agile is a UK-based developer of low-carbon energy parks – sites that combine waste processing, energy generation, and clean technology. The Thainstone Integrated Resource Facility (IRF) is currently under construction.

The partners aim to integrate hydrogen production on-site and explore combining captured CO2 from the waste facility with HiiRoc’s hydrogen to produce low-carbon e-methanol.

HiiRoc’s technology produces hydrogen from natural gas or biomethane using electric plasma, rather than water electrolysis. The British firm said it uses about one-fifth the electricity of electrolysis production.

Instead of CO2, the process produces solid carbon, making it Low Carbon Hydrogen Standard (LCHS) compliant.

The TPE units can be installed locally, avoiding the need for pipelines or hydrogen hubs. HiiRoc has said its first commercial units are planned for 2026.

Last year, Mexican cement producer Cemex announced plans to install HiiRoc’s technology at its Rugby plant in the UK to reduce CO2 emissions.

While the company has not detailed how the hydrogen from the TPE units will be used, Cemex has previously used hydrogen to improve kiln combustion efficiency.