Hydrogen is the most abundant element in the universe, but traditional methods of producing it in its pure form are dirty. And more environmentally friendly processes are costly.
But a New Berlin firm is fine-tuning a way to make it cheaper and “greener.”
It’s time to pick your Milwaukee favorites for the year!
“Hydrogen is important in everyday life, whether in creating the plastics that go into our kitchenware or phones, to the food we eat and the metals we work with,” says Chad Mason, founder of Advanced Ionics. “Right now, hydrogen production comes almost entirely from the cracking of methane molecules, which produces carbon dioxide emissions as a byproduct and contributes to climate change.”
But hydrogen also can be made from water, and Advanced Ionics’ efficient water vapor electrolyzers help reduce the cost and electricity requirements by harnessing heat from standard industrial processes.
Raised on a North Dakota farm, Mason launched Advanced Ionics in 2017 and raised a first round of venture capital in 2020. In 2023, the company secured $12.5 million in financing led by BP Ventures, an arm of the oil and gas giant. A new round of funding in January landed another $6.7 million. The company has grown to 30 employees.
“These are still demo projects in the lab, but now we’re starting to work towards eventually having in-the-field pilot projects,” Mason says. “We took a very unique approach that we think is the right one, but it’s also difficult because it’s the road less traveled.”
