Bright idea | Novel technology that uses light rather than heat to crack ammonia into hydrogen goes on sale
Start-up Syzygy Plasmonics uses powerful LED bulbs to break NH3 into H2 and nitrogen, potentially reducing the price of imported green hydrogen
US start-up Syzygy Plasmonics says it has started accepting orders for “the world’s first light-powered reactor cell for industrial chemical reactions”, which can crack ammonia into hydrogen and nitrogen using ultra-high-performance LED bulbs and proprietary catalysts.
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The system works primarily due to a reaction between the catalyst and “plasmonic nanoparticles” (a fine powder) that are also introduced into the reactor, which kickstarts the cracking process. “Plasmonic” refers to certain metallic materials whose electrons get excited when hit with light.
“The testing at our Houston facility is going exceptionally well,” said Syzygy CEO Trevor Best. “We're ready to deliver five-tonnes-of-hydrogen-per-day projects today. In 2025 we’ll be ready for ten-tonne installations, and then for 100-tonne projects in late 2026.
Despite its unusual lack of conventional vowels, the word “syzygy” (pronounced “sizz-uh-jee”) is actually English in origin, meaning a roughly straight-line configuration of three or more celestial bodies, such as the earth, sun and moon.