Energy start-up receives $3.6 million seed money

DiviGas’ Divi-H filter

The energy start-up DiviGas has received $3.6 million in seed money to support the commercialization of a new next-generation polymeric hydrogen separation membrane.

The product, Divi-H, is a filter at a molecular level that purifies hydrogen and helps capture the associated CO2 from process gas streams. The disruptive membrane will help reduce emissions by >1000 million tons of CO2 per year, the company said.

DiviGas CEO Andre Lorenceau said the energy industry produces about $110 billion in hydrogen gas from refineries, chemical plants and fertilizer plants. Of that, about 15%, or $16 billion, is lost to flaring. DiviGas’ membrane can recycle this previously unrecoverable hydrogen gas, netting the average refinery $3-6 million annually, the company said.

The membrane purifies hydrogen streams up to 99.9% and enables other gases to be redirected at full pressure. The DiviGas membrane can separate hydrogen from a gas stream in extreme acidic conditions, which can cause failures in other polymer membranes, the company said.

Other polymer membranes can only operate up to 50 degrees C, but DiviGas’ membrane can tolerate temperatures up to three times that level.