Graforce GmbH

Black, not gray... Part II This corresponds to turquoise hydrogen production of approximately 12.5 TWh, which is nearly the minimum target for green hydrogen by 2030 and 10% of the maximum demand for CO2-reduced hydrogen as per the German hydrogen strategy. The plasmalyse technology has the advantage that it can be implemented on a small scale without significant infrastructure build-up, as it only consumes approximately 20-25% of the green energy compared to green hydrogen, and the carbon is comparable to other industrial additives, for which logistical solutions already exist. Thus, it serves as a supplementary technology, particularly supporting decarbonization in the interior of Germany, where large amounts of green energy or easy CO2 transportation solutions are not readily available in the near future. It should also be noted that concrete already has advanced recycling cycles, making this a sustainable use case. Moreover, this is just one of four major areas where carbon can be utilized, with additional potential in this domain. With pelletizing, theoretically, up to 70% carbon could be incorporated, further benefiting by reducing the weight of the concrete. The potentials of carbon use were the focus of the third research area. We explored cases involving electrical and heat conductivity. Concrete batteries, widely discussed in recent months, were one such area of interest. One result was the potential for demonstrating and testing black plates with heat dissipation capabilities, which could be installed to help cool urban environments and utilize excess heat. For someone like me, starting in the fields of economics and commodity trading, this work has been an intriguing journey of learning by doing. I initially viewed concrete as a mundane product that hadn't changed much since its invention by the Romans and was produced in large, unattractive plants. However, this perception proved entirely wrong; there is significant potential, especially when carbon is added. Thus, we are far from merely discussing waste disposal; instead, this has become one of the most fascinating projects I've ever contributed to. Especially given the recent normalization of gas prices, where plasmalyse-based hydrogen costs are at the same marginal level as conventional industrial hydrogen, this technology could serve as both a 10 to 20-year bridge to decarbonize natural gas and a production solution for cheap and CO2-free carbon. It's worth noting that even CO2-negative carbon, utilizing biogas, is possible. I hope that this exciting technology and carbon use case will continue its journey towards contributing as a partial solution to decarbonization goals. I want to extend a big thank you to g.tecz, especially Mr. Zimmermann, Mr. Slabotny, Mrs. Krauß, and all other team members at g.tecz, as well as Graforce and Mr. Hanke, for the fantastic and stimulating collaboration.