The global push for clean fuels often centers on solar, wind, and hydrogen — but there’s a lesser-known path worth more attention: combining geothermal energy and waste methane to create cleaner fuels. This approach not only unlocks new value from existing infrastructure but also offers a more practical, scalable way to decarbonize some of the most difficult sectors, including aviation and shipping.
What’s Ahead in This Series
This article kicks off a 5-part series exploring a novel clean fuel strategy that combines geothermal energy, waste methane, direct air capture (to remove CO2 from air) and modular hydrogen production. Here’s what’s coming next:
- Today (Monday): A Novel Clean Fuel Strategy: Where Geothermal Meets Waste Methane
- Coming Tuesday: Can Waste Methane Be the Hero? Navigating Classification and Compliance
- Coming Wednesday: Geothermal-Powered Hydrogen: Rethinking Steam Methane Reforming
- Coming Thursday: Closing the Loop: From Green Hydrogen to Carbon-Neutral E-Fuels
- Coming Friday: A Circular Pathway to Truly Clean Fuels: What It’ll Take
Let’s begin with the surprising power of geothermal wells.
The Overlooked Opportunity in Geothermal Methane
When most people think about geothermal energy, they picture clean, carbon-free electricity sourced from the Earth’s heat. But geothermal wells — particularly older or lower-yield ones — often bring up more than steam. In many regions, they also tap into underground reserves of methane (CH₄), which today often goes underutilized or, worse, is flared or vented.
We recommend capturing this methane (CH₄), and using it for producing e-fuels, reducing climate warming.
This methane represents a potent greenhouse gas, but it’s also a valuable feedstock for hydrogen production. When processed correctly, it can be transformed into low-emissions hydrogen and elemental carbon through methods such as:
Methane Pyrolysis
Splits CH₄ into H₂ and solid carbon without generating CO₂. Here are the top companies currently working on Methane Pyrolysis.
Monolith (USA)
- Approach: Thermal methane pyrolysis
- Technology: Uses renewable electricity to convert methane into hydrogen and solid carbon black
- Highlight: Backed by major investments including from the U.S. Department of Energy and private sector; operates a commercial-scale facility in Nebraska.
- Why they matter: Considered a global leader in methane pyrolysis with proven scalability and a focus on reducing emissions in tire/rubber supply chains.
- Monolith website | Monolith LinkedIn
Modern Hydrogen (USA)
- Approach: Decentralized methane pyrolysis
- Technology: On-site hydrogen generation with solid carbon byproduct that can be used in asphalt and construction
- Highlight: Targets gas utilities and commercial buildings for distributed hydrogen production, avoiding transport infrastructure.
- Why they matter: Innovative model to enable transitional hydrogen deployment in existing infrastructure.
- Modern Hydrogen website | Modern Hydrogen LinkedIn
Ekona Power (Canada)
- Approach: Pulsed combustion methane pyrolysis
- Technology: Modular and scalable reactors that produce hydrogen and solid carbon using thermal plasma
- Highlight: Designed for integration with existing SMR infrastructure as a cleaner retrofit
- Why they matter: Strong industrial partnerships and focus on plug-and-play adoption in the energy sector.
- Ekona Power website | Ekona LinkedIn
Steam Methane Reforming (SMR)
A mature technology that produces H₂ but traditionally emits CO₂ unless paired with carbon capture.
By deploying methane pyrolysis at geothermal wellheads, we can create clean hydrogen on-site while capturing the solid carbon for use in construction materials, batteries, or advanced composites — rather than releasing it as emissions. Methane pyrolysis is in its nascent stages, and a scalable production unit is still a few years away. It has been proven in a lab setting, but the challenge of scaling still remains.
SMR on the other hand is a mature and scalable technology and that is what we will be investigating in this series. Here are the top companies currently working on SMR.
Air Liquide (France)
- Approach: Large-scale hydrogen production via SMR, with carbon capture integration for blue hydrogen
- Technology: Conventional SMR facilities enhanced by CCS and renewable energy-powered operations
- Highlight: Operates over 100 hydrogen production units globally; advancing low-carbon hydrogen initiatives in Europe and North America
- Why they matter: Proven scale, infrastructure expertise, and leadership in integrating CCS into traditional hydrogen production
- Air Liquide website | Air Liquide LinkedIn
Air Products (USA)
- Approach: Industrial-scale SMR with blue hydrogen focus
- Technology: SMR facilities paired with carbon capture and hydrogen liquefaction; investing in clean hydrogen megaprojects
- Highlight: Building the world’s largest blue hydrogen plant in Louisiana with full CCS integration
- Why they matter: Market leader in hydrogen supply and infrastructure, with deep capital investment in clean fuel hubs
- Air Products website | Air Products LinkedIn
Linde (Global: HQ Ireland / Ops in US)
- Approach: Turnkey SMR systems with a shift toward low-carbon hydrogen
- Technology: Advanced SMR units with optional CCS, optimized for petrochemical and industrial gas markets
- Highlight: Partner in the UK’s HyNet project; providing hydrogen and decarbonization solutions for refineries and heavy industry
- Why they matter: Global engineering capabilities and history of delivering SMR projects at scale
- Linde website | Linde LinkedIn
Why This Approach of Using Waste Methane Matters
What makes this strategy appealing is its practicality:
- Uses existing geothermal sites — Some of which are underperforming financially and where methane is released into the air. The economics can greatly improve if the methane is captured and used to produce e-fuels.
- Reduces methane waste — A major climate win, given methane’s outsized warming potential.
- Produces clean hydrogen and e-fuels — A crucial input for synthetic fuels, industrial decarbonization, and energy storage.
This method doesn’t require building entirely new infrastructure from scratch — it makes better use of what we already have. That’s an advantage in a world that needs to scale solutions quickly.
The Classification Question: When Waste Becomes a Problem
Turning waste methane into a clean hydrogen feedstock may sound like a win-win. But it opens a complex and often controversial question: Does the source of your hydrogen determine whether it qualifies as “clean” — and more importantly, who gets the credit?
In today’s regulatory environment, clean fuel producers must meet strict sustainability certification standards like ISCC (International Sustainability and Carbon Certification) to be eligible for production tax credits and other financial incentives. These programs aim to reward emissions reduction — but navigating them can be tricky when your hydrogen comes from unconventional sources like waste methane from geothermal wells.
This is where real-world innovation meets real-world bureaucracy. Industry players and researchers are actively debating how — or if — waste methane should be classified under clean hydrogen policies. Depending on how that debate lands, project economics can swing dramatically.
We’ll explore this classification challenge, the compliance implications, and where the lines are being drawn — in tomorrow’s article: “Can Waste Methane Be the Hero?”
If you’re a clean energy leader or innovator in the utility, oil & gas, or heavy transport sector, I’d love to hear your perspective.
Let’s connect and explore how we might accelerate these technologies together.