Hydrogen Separation and Processing

Supporting the Global Energy Transition Effort

Technical Excellence in Hydrogen Handling and Process-Driven Separation

Hydrogen is a leading candidate as an energy vector to enable the transition to a net-zero global economy. It is also an essential commodity chemical, widely produced and consumed in chemical manufacturing and often required for biofuel upgrading. The safe and effective utilisation of hydrogen requires a thorough knowledge of its properties, as well as the codes and standards governing its handling and storage.

BC Research Inc. has extensive experience in hydrogen production, handling, and separation, including the use of metallic membranes for purification and in-situ reactor integration to enhance hydrogen yield. These efforts have resulted in recent scientific breakthroughs, multiple new patent applications, and the launch of the newest NORAM Group spinout, ShiftX Technologies. ShiftX Technologies is focused on commercializing these innovations, with ongoing testing and technical support provided by BC Research Inc.

Some recent examples of our work in this space include:

Testing of commercially available precious and non-precious metal-based hydrogen membranes.
Developing and testing novel electroless plating techniques for lower cost and more thermally stable base-metal hydrogen membranes.
Producing syngas and chemicals from biomass gasification and/or pyrolysis on the pilot scale.
Developing catalysts and testing gas-phase catalytic upgrading and reactions, liquid product condensing and on-line analysis of non-condensable gases using gas chromatography.
Studying gas/liquid reaction kinetics and hydrogenation using a high-pressure and high-temperature autoclave reactor.

Our Core Research Areas

Biobased Products

Converting renewable feedstocks into sustainable chemicals, fuels, and functional materials

Chemistry of Multiphase Systems

Leveraging interfacial phenomena to control reaction kinetics, phase separations, mass and heat transfer, rheological properties and overall process efficiencies

Challenging Industrial Chemistries

Designing systems with real chemistries, using real feedstocks and operating at industrial temperatures and pressures to develop and validate chemical process technologies