NewHydrogen files third ThermoLoop patent for heat driven hydrogen production without electrolysis

NewHydrogen has filed a third provisional patent with the University of California, Santa Barbara for ThermoLoop, its heat driven process that produces hydrogen from water without conventional electrolysis. The patent, titled 'Hydrogen Production in Isothermal Chemical Looping Cycle,' follows two earlier filings and covers improvements to the technology. ThermoLoop uses heat and solid-state materials rather than electricity to split water, which the company says could lower the cost of green hydrogen. The company is now building an automated engineering test unit, or ETU, to collect the data needed to design a first commercial pilot plant. CEO Steve Hill said the ETU is the foundation for moving from lab science to engineering. The article notes the U.S. produces about 10 million metric tons of hydrogen per year, mostly from fossil fuels, so a heat driven alternative would need to prove it can scale and source clean heat before it meaningfully cuts emissions.