What Aurora Hydrogen does

Aurora Hydrogen is a Canadian clean energy technology company developing modular hydrogen production systems based on proprietary microwave-driven methane pyrolysis. Founded in 2021 in Edmonton, Alberta, the company converts natural gas and electricity into low-carbon hydrogen and solid carbon using highly efficient microwave energy, avoiding CO2 emissions and water consumption while using 80% less electricity than electrolysis. Aurora targets hard-to-abate industrial sectors including steel manufacturing, chemical production, long-distance trucking, rail transport, clean fuels, and maritime shipping, with an enterprise field sales motion aimed at industrial operators and energy supermajors.

The core product is a modular hydrogen production plant that splits methane into hydrogen and a sand-sized solid carbon co-product 100 to 1,000 times larger than carbon black, elementally pure and suitable for steelmaking, construction, battery anodes, and aluminum production. The technology has been granted a patent on its microwave-based methane pyrolysis method, achieved 99% microwave absorption and over 85% natural gas-to-hydrogen conversion in operating campaigns, and has been validated at bench scale by the University of Toronto. A 200 kg-H2/day industrial-scale demonstration plant operates in Edmonton, and Aurora has attained Technology Readiness Level 7, receiving the 2025 Alberta Science and Technology (ASTech) Award. The system is designed for point-of-use deployment using off-the-shelf components, eliminating the need for new hydrogen pipelines, CO2 storage, or water infrastructure.

Aurora's business model combines sale of modular hydrogen production units, sale of on-site produced hydrogen, and sale of the solid carbon co-product, structured around multi-year contracts with industrial and maritime customers. The company has raised approximately $14 million in equity from a strategic investor syndicate including Energy Innovation Capital, Williams, Shell Ventures, Chevron Technology Ventures, Oldendorff Overseas Investments, and the George Kaiser Family Foundation, supplemented by approximately $10 million in non-dilutive Canadian government funding from NRCan, NGIF Accelerator, Alberta Innovates, and Sustainable Development Technology Canada. The company employs 11-50 people and targets commercial operations in 2027.

Name

Aurora Hydrogen

Legal name

Aurora Hydrogen, Inc.

Website

https://aurorahydrogen.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2021

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Aurora Hydrogen is an Edmonton-based clean energy technology company developing microwave-driven methane pyrolysis systems that convert natural gas into low-carbon hydrogen and solid carbon for industrial sectors including steel, chemicals, transportation, and maritime shipping.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Clean Hydrogen Production Technology

NAICS

Industrial Gas Manufacturing (32512)

SIC

Oil & Gas Field Machinery & Equipment (3533)

akta.pro primary industry

Hydrogen (Industrial & Mobility) (IMAEACAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Hydrogen & Derivative Fuels for Industry (H₂, Ammonia, Methanol) (EUABAJAC), Hydrogen Energy Storage & Power-to-X Equipment (electrolyzers, storage, fuel cell systems) (IMAGAHAM)

Keywords

• Clean hydrogen production
• Methane pyrolysis technology
• Solid carbon co-product
• Industrial decarbonization systems
• Point-of-use hydrogen

Headquarters

HQ city

Edmonton

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Hydrogen Production and Sales: Aurora produces and sells low-cost, low-carbon hydrogen fuel produced via microwave methane pyrolysis at the point of use. Plants run on natural gas and electricity alone, producing hydrogen for industrial applications without CO2 emissions or water consumption. Revenue generated from hydrogen sales to industrial customers in hard-to-abate sectors.
2. Solid Carbon Co-product Sales: Aurora's technology produces sand-sized solid carbon particles as a valuable co-product. Carbon can be sold for various applications including steelmaking, construction materials, graphite/graphene production, battery anodes, and aluminum production. Creates additional revenue stream from hydrogen production.
3. Modular Unit Sales/Purchase Commitments: Sale of modular hydrogen production units to customers. Includes long-term purchase commitments from strategic partners like Oldendorff Overseas Investments for maritime vessel applications. Revenue from unit sales with associated installation and ongoing support.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Aurora Hydrogen builds and sells modular hydrogen production plants that use patented microwave-driven methane pyrolysis to convert natural gas and electricity into low-carbon hydrogen and solid carbon. The systems are designed for on-site, point-of-use deployment at industrial facilities in hard-to-abate sectors such as steelmaking, chemical production, heavy transportation, and maritime shipping, and also generate a saleable solid carbon co-product.

Product overview

Aurora Hydrogen offers a single unified clean hydrogen production system based on proprietary microwave-driven methane pyrolysis technology. The system converts natural gas and electricity into low-cost, low-carbon hydrogen fuel and solid carbon using efficient microwave energy heating. The core product is the hydrogen production plant, which produces hydrogen at the point of use with solid carbon as a valuable co-product. The technology is modular and scalable, designed for distributed hydrogen production at industrial facilities, ports, and maritime vessels.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Aurora Hydrogen Production System Modular, high-efficiency clean hydrogen production system that uses patented microwave-driven methane pyrolysis to convert natural gas and electricity into low-carbon hydrogen without CO2 emissions or water consumption; designed for on-site, point-of-use deployment at industrial facilities.
• Solid Carbon Co-product Elementally pure, sand-sized carbon particles produced as a byproduct of Aurora's methane pyrolysis process; suitable for sale into steelmaking, construction materials, aluminum production, battery anodes, graphite, and graphene markets.

Quantifiable outcome

• 80% less electricity consumption than electrolysis
• +5 more outcomes

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered strategic, foundational, core and supporting.

• Acceleware Ltd.strategicStrategic or Co-development Partner · 21 February 2023Collaboration to expand electromagnetic heating methods. Fellow Alberta company and leading developer of radio-frequency heating technology. Partnership aims to further improve energy efficiency and drive down costs in hydrogen production.
• Creative Destruction Lab (CDL)foundationalStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 October 2021Aurora participated in 2021/2022 CDL-Rockies Energy stream cohort. Program provided mentorship, capital-raising opportunities, technology roadmap advice, and business development support. Aurora graduated from the program.
• Reederei NORD GroupcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHamburg-based family-owned ship owner and manager. Through OOI, committed to long-term purchase of Aurora units for maritime vessel applications. Partnership targets decarbonization of maritime shipping operations.
• Open Hydrogen Initiative (OHI)strategicStrategic or Co-development PartnerTechnical sponsor alongside GTI Energy, S&P Global Commodity Insights and National Energy Technology Laboratory. Aurora is the sole methane pyrolysis company in OHI, providing input on standardized carbon intensity measurement toolkit for hydrogen production.
• University of TorontofoundationalTechnology or IntegrationCo-founder Dr. Murray Thomson originated from University of Toronto. Researchers at U of T validated Aurora's technology with bench-scale reactor achieving 100% methane conversion. Technology first developed and tested with scientists from U of T.
• University of AlbertafoundationalTechnology or IntegrationTechnology developed with scientists from University of Alberta. Partnership in research and development of methane pyrolysis technology. Contributed to technology validation and bench-scale testing.
• AnsyssupportingTechnology or IntegrationParticipant in Ansys Startup Program. Uses Ansys simulation tools for technology development and design optimization.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Air Products: Air Products is one of the world's largest industrial gas and hydrogen producers, actively building blue and green hydrogen projects. It is a broad incumbent competing for the same industrial customers Aurora targets.
• Plug Power: Plug Power is an integrated hydrogen player producing, distributing, and using hydrogen for fuel cells in mobility and material handling — a broad incumbent overlapping with Aurora in industrial and heavy-transport end markets.
• Linde: Linde is a global industrial gases major with large-scale hydrogen production, distribution, and clean hydrogen project development — a broad incumbent whose customer base and geographies overlap with Aurora's industrial and mobility segments.
• Nel ASA: Nel ASA is a leading electrolyzer manufacturer serving industrial and mobility hydrogen customers. It represents the green hydrogen route competing against Aurora's turquoise pathway for the same decarbonization budgets.
• ITM Power: ITM Power manufactures PEM electrolysers and provides hydrogen refueling solutions for industrial and mobility customers across Europe — a competing technology pathway targeting the same hard-to-abate sectors.

Direct peers

• Monolith Materials: Monolith uses methane pyrolysis to produce hydrogen and carbon black at commercial scale. While oriented toward carbon black rather than hydrogen sales, it is a directly comparable process technology and competitive threat in the methane pyrolysis category.
• HiiROC: HiiROC uses microwave plasma to convert methane into hydrogen and carbon black — the closest direct peer to Aurora in process architecture, end markets (industrial decarbonization), and product (modular hydrogen units).
• Hazer Group: Hazer Group (Australia) uses catalytic methane pyrolysis to produce hydrogen and synthetic graphite, a directly comparable process to Aurora's and addressing overlapping hard-to-abate end markets.
• C-Zero: C-Zero is a US-based methane pyrolysis developer producing low-carbon hydrogen from natural gas. It is a direct competitor in the turquoise hydrogen space, targeting industrial customers with a similar point-of-use value proposition.

Emerging players

• Transform Materials: Transform Materials uses microwave plasma to convert methane and other feedstocks into hydrogen and value-added carbon products — overlapping with Aurora's microwave-driven approach but at an earlier commercialization stage.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/aurora-hydrogen

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds6 records

Investors10 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Aurora Hydrogen