CarbonLoop and Haffner Energy announced that they have signed two purchase orders for the supply, installation and commissioning by Haffner Energy of the first two HYNOCA stations for the first two CarbonLoop sites. These two orders are part of the Commercial Contract signed in October 2021. Each site will allow CarbonLoop to produce 225 tons of H₂ and 1,100 tons of biochar from 7,000 tpy of biomass residues, and to sequester approximately 2,400 t CO₂e, certified by carbon credits.

CarbonLoop will market the H₂ to HYLIKO (Kouros Group), which will distribute it through its network of service stations for trucks. Thanks to its water retention and fertilizer properties, the biochar produced will be marketed by CarbonLoop to the agricultural sector to help restore soils in a context of increasing water stress and inflation of nitrogen fertilizers.

The first CarbonLoop site will be in Villabé (Essonne), near the HYLIKO distribution station, ideally situated along the A6 motorway, south of Paris. The H₂ produced from biomass residues will supply the first trucks in the Paris region. The second site will be unveiled by CarbonLoop during 2023.

These orders are confirmation for Haffner Energy of the relevance of its HYNOCA technology to produce H₂ and biochar from biomass residues. The result of nearly a decade of research and development, the HYNOCA technology produces H₂ from biomass residues in three stages: a thermolysis unit during which the heated biomass is broken down into a solid residue (biochar) and a gas that is then refined in a high-temperature cracking unit and finally purified in a third unit to retain only the H₂. Because it produces biochar recognized as a sustainable carbon sink by the IPCC, the HYNOCA process produces renewable H₂ and removes CO₂ from the atmosphere in a sustainable way.

In the current context of high energy prices, these two projects offer an interesting valorization of biomass residues, contribute to the accelerated decarbonization of road freight transport and to soil restoration. Biomass thermolysis offers a complementary and agile response to water electrolysis to produce renewable H₂, serving the resilience of territories and the development of their local resources.

"We chose Haffner Energy 's HYNOCA technology because not only does it produce renewable H₂ from biomass residues, thus offering an interesting alternative to H₂ production by electrolysis of water, but also because it allows the co-production of biochar, a plant-based charcoal with agronomic benefits that respond to water stress issues and remove CO₂ from the atmosphere. The fact that Haffner Energy is a French company has also reinforced our approach of favoring French and European channels for our solution," said Claire Chastrusse, CEO of CarbonLoop.

"We are delighted to implement for our customer and long-term partner CarbonLoop these two renewable H₂ production contracts, which will enable the production of competitive carbon-negative H₂. This dual characteristic is a strong differentiator for customers who will choose HYNOCA technology," said Philippe Haffner, Chairman and CEO of Haffner Energy."