Monolith ties up with SK for hydrogen and carbon black technology

US hydrogen firm Monolith has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with South Korean chemical firm SK Inc. to pursue a joint venture for producing clean hydrogen and carbon black products in South Korea. Monolith currently produces clean hydrogen and carbon black in Hallam, Nebraska, with plans for additional US-based growth already underway.

As part of the MOU, Monolith will share its production and technology knowledge with SK Inc. to produce hydrogen and solid carbon products in South Korea. SK Inc. will oversee the production, sales and distribution of these products in that market. Monolith and SK Inc.’s work together first began in the summer of 2021 following SK Inc.’s investment in the clean hydrogen production leader.  

“Monolith believes that for a global challenge like decarbonisation, global collaboration is needed,” said Monolith CEO Rob Hanson. “We’re eager to continue our collaboration with SK Inc. to ensure cleanly-produced hydrogen and carbon products are available around the world.”  

“Climate change is requiring markets around the world to dramatically transform their energy systems and, in a broader sense, their value chain as a whole to reduce adverse impact on the environment,” said Moohwan Kim, executive vice president, SK Inc. “SK Inc. plans to collaborate with Monolith to expand its technologies globally and support our goal of creating new models for clean energy.”

Monolith, which was founded in 2012, developed a process technology that uses 100% renewable energy to convert natural gas into clean hydrogen and a solid carbon material called carbon black, a critical raw material in the automotive and industrial sectors. The company is currently operating its first commercial-scale production facility in Hallam, Nebraska. Along with clean hydrogen and carbon black, the company announced in late 2020 its plans to produce clean ammonia at a second phase production facility in Nebraska.