OUR PROJECT: THE ELEVATOR PICTH
Every day, tones of nitrogen-rich residues are generated by the agriculture sector and other industries like the fertilizers industry. This residues are dumped to the soil and the seas and cause a huge environmental impact.
​​But what if, along the way, would it be possible to find a way to make that residues do something useful?
These residues are highly valuable chemicals as a hydrogen-rich molecules, while hydrogen is emerging as the future green fuel alternative to fossil fuels in a rapidly increasing energy-demanding world. At HFC we identified this fact as an irrefutable business opportunity, and we intend to develop and bring to the market the first industrially viable technology for hydrogen/energy generation using nitrogen rich derivatives as hydrogen source.
The Identified Need
Given the continued growth in the world’s population as well as the progressive industrialisation of developing nations, the global demand for energy is expected to continue to escalate in the coming decades. It is estimated that worldwide energy demand is predicted to double by the mid-century and triple by the end of the century, while still more than 68% of energy is supplied from fossil fuels.
At the same time, fossil fuels are the main responsible for greenhouse gas emissions and are predicted to peak over in a few decades. Therefore, it is quite clear that alternatives to fossil fuels are required, to meet the global energy demand. ​
Hydrogen fuel cells have emerged as one attractive option due to their potential to be a reliable, non-polluting technology that uses almost infinite resource.
Our Solution
We present the first industrially viable fuel cell technology for hydrogen generation or direct energy production, utilizing nitrogen-based derivatives as hydrogen carriers. This groundbreaking innovation is protected under Spanish Patent 202230493 and PCT WO2023/237797, with its protection expanded to Europe, North America, Japan, Mexico, and Colombia as of December 2024. Our technology overcomes the efficiency, cost, and scalability limitations of existing solutions by integrating nitrogen-based compounds as electrolytes, advanced nanotechnology for electrode fabrication, and cost-effective metal alloys that deliver electrocatalytic, superconducting, and photoactive properties.
Our Technology
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Nitrogen-based compounds as electrolytes.
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Nanostructured electrodes materials based on graphene to increase electrode surfaces and avoid active site blockage.
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Anode coating with cheap metal alloys (for improved electro-catalytic activity (high efficiency).
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Anode coating with superconducting materials for increased conductivity and thus efficiency.
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Combined cycle can be used in the final system (fuel cell) to increase efficiency ever up to 100%.
The Market Opportunity
KEY FEATURES: The hydrogen generation market was valued at €108.1 billion in 2016 and is predicted to exhibit a CAGR of 5.8% until 2025. The main technologies used in industrial hydrogen generation are steam-methane reforming (SMR), followed by coal gasification and oil refinery, while water electrolysis being the less used method
NITRO-D-CELL PROJECT
NITRO-D-CELL seeks to develop the first industrially viable electrolytic cell technology for hydrogen production or direct energy generation, utilizing nitrogen-based derivatives as hydrogen carriers. The scientific foundation of NITRO-D-CELL is rooted in a thorough review of existing water- and urea-based fuel technologies, complemented by an innovative strategy to address their fundamental challenges. This hypothesis has been rigorously validated over two years of intensive research, demonstrating the superior feasibility, efficiency, and cost-effectiveness of electrolytic cells employing nitrogen-rich derivatives compared to traditional water and urea systems.
Our groundbreaking approach combines these nitrogen-rich compounds with cutting-edge nanostructured electrode materials made from cost-effective metallic elements, paving the way for sustainable and scalable hydrogen production solutions. From 2023 to 2026, NITRO-D-CELL was funded through the Next Generation EU funds, enabling the scaling of this technology to a pre-industrial level.
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