UK startup Wild Hydrogen promises carbon negative H2

Wild Hydrogen, a UK startup converting biogenic waste into hydrogen, is looking to raise £6m through crowdfunding to finance a 1MW technology demonstrator.

An artist's impression of the 1MW demonstrator site
An artist's impression of the 1MW demonstrator site - Wild Hydrogen

Founded in 2022, the Gloucester-based company’s patented Rising Pressure Reformer (RiPR) can work off a wide range of feedstocks including seaweed, biomass, agricultural and municipal wastes, and plastics. RiPR converts these inputs into hydrogen, biomethane, CO2 and biochar through supercritical water gasification (SCWG).

According to Wild Hydrogen, the patented process does not require large amounts of renewable electricity like green hydrogen and can produce carbon-negative ‘clear hydrogen’ at a price competitive with today’s grey hydrogen. Having raised £2.3m and built four prototypes over the past two years, the company is now seeking an additional £6m in seed funding to develop its 1MW commercial demonstrator in Easington, just west of Stroud.  

“Our mission is clear, to bring a truly carbon-negative, scalable hydrogen solution to industries globally,” said Wild Hydrogen CEO, James Milner. "This campaign propels us closer to that vision, paving the way for a net-zero future where affordable, clean hydrogen can be used to power manufacturing, HGVs, and even commercial aircraft.

"Private investment is essential to fully unlock hydrogen's potential and accelerate our journey to net zero - and with the support of our crowdfunding partners, Wild Hydrogen is ready to lead the way.”

Wild Hydrogen said that RiPR is a tuneable process, allowing it to produce different Carbon Dioxide Removal (CDR) products. In addition, it is claimed the technology uses widely available metals and ceramics and does not rely on large amounts of water or rare Earth elements. It uses a fraction of the energy in the feedstock material to sustain its processes and can even operate off-grid if necessary, according to the company.

“Wild Hydrogen has a completely revolutionary method of generating hydrogen,” said Wild Hydrogen chairman, David Gammon. “We can do this because we’ve assembled a world class key team to deliver in terms of design, in terms of manufacturing, in terms of construction, and in terms of business model.”

Wild Hydrogen’s crowdfunder is open for priority access now. The company’s website said the 1MW demonstrator is planned for commissioning in 2027.