The report, from Hydrogen Europe in collaboration with the German Technical and Scientific Association for Gas and Water (DVGW), was published this week to coincide with European Hydrogen Week.

Turquoise hydrogen converts gases into hydrogen and solid carbon, which can be used in many industries, as well as soil improvement, providing benefits for the circular economy.

Its appeal is that it can be installed at point of use wherever there is methane, thereby avoiding large infrastructure CAPEX, and it uses minimal electricity, making it “more competitive” than green hydrogen in a high electricity price environment.

When the reaction is powered by renewable electricity – if the methane used as feedstock is carefully sourced – emissions are limited and could be offset, and the resultant hydrogen considered zero carbon.

Stephen Jackson, Chief Technology & Market Officer at Hydrogen Europe, said: “Turquoise hydrogen made from pyrolysis is an efficient, clean – potentially even carbon negative – and cost-effective production method that, if properly deployed, will play an important role in growing the hydrogen market and achieving our energy-transition goals.”

The report provides a comprehensive overview on pyrolysis, from the discussion of the basic concept to the advantages over conventional methods of hydrogen production.

The European Commission highlighted in the REPowerEU Communication the need for the European Union to become energy independent from Russian fossil fuels. The joint publication builds on it and highlights the potential of alternative, yet currently mostly overlooked, energy sources such waste, wastewater, sewage sludge, biomass and green gases that are underutilised but available today.

The report, which also includes life cycle emissions calculations showing that hydrogen from pyrolysis is clean and can even be carbon negative, argues for a technology-neutral approach to hydrogen, which will provide airtime to lesser-known production methods such as pyrolysis a chance and enables their development and contribution to the energy transition.

Prof. Dr Gerald Linke, Chairman of the Board of DVGW, said, “In the next two decades we must replace fossil through climate friendly molecules. To do that we must use all options.”