Carbon280 announced the launch of its Hydrilyte Technology Pilot Plant in Kwinana, Western Australia. The company raised over $16 MM to accelerate its innovative liquid H₂ storage solution, Hydrilyte.

The pilot and laboratory facilities were funded through a $10.6-MM seed investment led by Woodside Energy, with support from UK-based renewable energy company Hive Energy and a Singaporean family office, alongside a forecast $5.5 MM in R&D rebates from the Australian Government.

Australia’s H₂ ambitions face growing headwinds, with rising costs, technical complexity, and a number of high-profile projects stalled or cancelled. Carbon280’s multi-patented Hydrilyte technology addresses a major bottle neck in the H₂ supply chain, enabling H₂ to be stored safely at ambient temperature and pressure. This makes the storage and transport of H₂ safer, more efficient and more economically viable.

Mark Rheinlander, Founder & CEO of Carbon280 said, “Rather than transporting a highly flammable gas you are storing and transporting a safe, low-cost liquid that stores H₂ under ambient conditions. Low-cost and ease of handling will simplify and speed the implementation of H₂ projects globally, enabling H₂ use in applications and geographies with less sophisticated infrastructure.”

The Hydrilyte Technology Pilot Plant—a 100-kW TRL6 prototype—will prove the Hydrilyte technology at an industrially relevant scale, delivering critical performance data for partners and investors. A successful outcome will validate Carbon280’s technology, reducing the cost for existing H₂ users, improving the economics and speed the implementation of future projects, including production of green iron, synthetic aviation fuels and methanol.

Hydrilyte’s ability to separate H₂ from helium, and store the H₂ ready for transport, gives it the potential to advance natural H₂ projects in Australia and globally. Natural H₂ occurs mixed with other gasses that need to be separated. Helium is one of these gasses and very hard to separate from H₂ because of their similar molecular size. Hydrilyte enables separation and storage, ready for transport, in a single step, facilitating the monetization of both H₂ and helium for natural H₂ developers.

“Natural H₂ in combination with Hydrilyte will be game changing for the use of H₂ across all industries, including energy, by slashing costs and simplifying handling,” continued Mark Rheinlander.

As a safe, pumpable liquid, the H₂-containing Hydrilyte can be stored and transported using existing liquid fuels infrastructure, including pipelines, tankers, and ships. More broadly, the technology has the potential to deliver a H₂ transportation method that costs less, is inherently safe, energy efficient and ultra-scalable.

The launch of the Hydrilite pilot plant marks a pivotal step towards de-risking H₂ investments in Australia and accelerating the sector’s growth. Carbon280 is committed to delivering a secure, sustainable, and economically viable H₂ future.