Pasadena Company Secures $3.2 Million Canadian Government Funding for Clean Hydrogen Project – Pasadena Now
Pasadena-based Thiozen, believed to be the first company ever to produce clean hydrogen from "sour gas" waste streams, has been awarded $3.2 million in funding from the Government of Alberta in Canada for a groundbreaking project.
Sour gas is natural gas or any other gas containing significant amounts of hydrogen sulfide. The initiative aims to produce hydrogen from sour gas waste streams, addressing environmental concerns and advancing Canada's hydrogen economy.
The funding, announced on Monday, July 1, is part of a larger $57 million commitment by the Alberta government to support 28 projects focused on hydrogen development. Administered by Emissions Reduction Alberta and Alberta Innovates, the program seeks to reduce emissions and create jobs in the province.
A statement from Thiozen said the project stands out for its innovative approach to hydrogen production. The company plans to install its proprietary technology at a gas processing site in Alberta, facilitating the removal of hydrogen sulfide from sour natural gas streams while generating zero-emission hydrogen.
"The Government of Alberta recognizes that sour gas processing is a major cost associated with energy supply, and appreciates both the economic and environmental value of removing the hydrogen sulfide and producing a new energy stream in hydrogen," Ryan Gillis, co-founder and President at Thiozen, said. "We're honored to be selected to participate in this project and to help Alberta leverage an entirely new method of producing hydrogen."
Nate Glubish, Minister of Technology and Innovation with Emissions Reduction Alberta, emphasized the potential of hydrogen to transform global energy markets and create significant economic activity.
"Alberta's government is committed to investing in new technologies to develop a hydrogen market and to ensure that Alberta is the Hydrogen capital of Canada," Glubish said.
The eight projects funded through Emissions Reduction Alberta's Accelerating Hydrogen Challenge are expected to yield substantial environmental benefits. Projections indicate annual greenhouse gas reductions of 13,000 tonnes, with cumulative reductions of 81,000 tonnes by 2030 and 493,000 tonnes by 2050.
Thiozen said its technology offers a unique solution to the energy industry's decarbonization challenges. By producing hydrogen from hydrogen sulfide waste streams, the company aims to replace traditional hydrogen production methods, potentially reducing global greenhouse gas emissions and improving air quality and respiratory health in communities near current hydrogen infrastructure.
Launched in Pasadena three years ago as a Massachusetts Institute of Technology spinout, Thiozen recently validated its technology in a field pilot unit in the Permian Basin, the highest oil-producing field in the United States.
