OMNI Conversion Technologies Inc. (OMNI CT; Ottawa, Ont., Canada) announced the first sale of its novel waste-to-hydrogen technology product. The Larsen and Lam Climate Initiative, a foundation backed by philanthropists Chris Larsen and Lyna Lam, has committed $35 million to bring this ground-breaking technology to production in the fight against climate change. The first commercial plant in production from OMNI CT will use unsorted non-recyclable Municipal Solid Waste (MSW), which is currently disposed of in landfills, to produce negative carbon hydrogen in California.
New technologies are essential in the fight against climate change. While low-cost solar electricity was a dream only a decade ago, its impact today is far-reaching. The Larsen and Lam Climate Initiative investment will accelerate the global adoption of OMNI CT technology.
“Low or zero CO2 fuels are critical to achieving a decarbonized economy. OMNI CT has created a first-of-its-kind product that can have a global and immediate impact. This is why we are excited to work with their team to bring this technology to market in California as our first project from the Larsen and Lam Climate Initiative,” said Chris Larsen, Co-Founder of the Larsen and Lam Climate Initiative and Ripple.
“With surging global interest in hydrogen and biofuels and as the urgency grows around the climate change crisis, it’s an opportune time to be launching our product into the fight against climate change. We’ve spent 15 years and $400 million perfecting it. We’re thrilled to be working with the Larsen and Lam Climate Initiative who not only understand but share our vision for the future,” said Rod Bryden, CEO of OMNI CT.
Professor Daniel Kammen, Chair of the Energy and Resources Group at the University of California, Berkeley, commented that zero-carbon fuels are a critical part of the aggressive path to a clean economy. As California looks to build a vibrant zero-carbon economy, the Omni technology is an exciting addition that will solve multiple problems at once.
The Omni 200 GPRS waste to hydrogen product can produce around 5000 tons of negative carbon hydrogen each year, from 200 tons per day of unsorted non-recyclable garbage. Hydrogen is produced in the city where it is needed and the garbage is diverted from landfill to OMNI CT and eliminated with no air emissions and nothing left for disposal. Energy in the garbage replaces electricity otherwise required to make green hydrogen. The circular hydrogen produced could operate some 550 city buses running on hydrogen at a cost less than the current cost of using gasoline or diesel.
The purchase was funded and signed on April 21, 2021 with the goal of being in production in California converting Municipal Solid Waste to hydrogen by the end of 2023.