Motivated by the lack of progress in practical solutions for the removal of carbon from the atmosphere and the energy we consume, Metharc’s founder Stuart Gillick was inspired to transform the root cause of the carbon in our society. He has since been working with the development of Metharc’s groundbreaking technology over the past years. A first patent has now been granted and more are pending.

Stuart has been involved in the energy industry for nearly three decades. After completing a Fuel & Energy Engineering Batchelors degree (Leeds University, UK) and a postgraduate Petroleum Engineering Masters degree (Imperial College, UK), Stuart spent the majority of his professional life working internationally as a consultant within the oil & gas industry.

There are two key challenges with the climate and clean energy issues we face. Firstly, cost-effective, high-volume Carbon Capture & Storage (CCS). Secondly, insufficient low-cost & high-volume generation of hydrogen to support the hydrogen economy. While society’s hydrocarbons (oil & gas) consumption is widely acknowledged as creating these challenges, we also see natural gas as a pathway for an environmentally sustainable and cost-effective solution to both. The point-source of the carbon is not where it’s burned, but the wellbores where it is produced.

Wellbore Decarbonisation of Oil & Gas Production was the conclusion, with the goal to enable the oil & gas companies to transform how we exploit the oil & gas within their reservoirs to consume this energy resource in a climate beneficial way. Exploitation, not production.

We have now been granted a patent for our process and have further patents pending for our technology. Our concept provides an enabling technology for wellbore decarbonisation, which combines hydrocarbon reformation (gasification) for the generation of hydrogen, together with simultaneous downhole carbon capture.

Methane reformation (gasification) to Blue Hydrogen has existed for many decades and is very mature chemistry. Our pending technology patents incorporate this, together with other technical advances and proven technologies, in novel & innovative steps to significantly increase hydrogen production, reduce costs, and avoid atmospheric greenhouse gas pollution (CH₄ or CO₂ emissions).

Our process is customisable, which enables this technology to be equally applied to creating synergy between Industry, Agriculture, Biowaste and Geothermal Energy. The same wellbore decarbonisation process can be achieved with the surface injection of bio-hydrocarbons (e.g., Biogas) into geothermal wellbores. This creates a more climate-sustainable carbon capture (CCS) & hydrogen generation process, with multiple revenue streams serving as a business model profit-multiplier.