US low-emission carbon black and hydrogen manufacturer Monolith says it has renewed an expanded partnership with École des Mines de Paris-PSL (Mines Paris) through February 2030 in support of research and development (R&D) efforts at the organisation’s facility in Sophia Antipolis, France.
Monolith and Mines Paris, under the leadership of Dr. Laurent Fulcheri, first partnered over a decade ago to leverage the research university’s longstanding experience in thermal plasma processing and innovative pyrolysis technology to support Monolith’s efforts producing cleanly made products. With the expansion of this partnership, Monolith and Mines Paris will build on their success to date, scale groundbreaking research, and explore new possibilities in thermal plasma processing to continue driving innovation.
“Mines Paris has been an outstanding partner for nearly as long as our company has existed, working alongside our teams to discover and develop the most cutting-edge technologies out there,” said Rob Hanson, cofounder and CEO, Monolith. “Through this expanded relationship, our customers will have an opportunity to see firsthand the transformative research the Mines Paris team is conducting onsite, allowing them to collaborate and explore new ways low-emission carbon black can be used to make cleaner everyday products.”
In 2012, Monolith established a partnership with Mines Paris to utilise its decades of experience with thermal plasma processing. Over the past 12 years, Mines Paris has conducted highly impactful R&D programs, assisting Monolith in identifying process recipes for carbon black products, sustainable feedstocks and the feasibility of new feedstocks.
With the signing of the expanded agreement, Monolith is accelerating innovation on an international scale and creating potential new customer opportunities across a variety of industries.
Carbon black can be found in a variety of everyday products, from tyres and paint to electronics and cleaning supplies. While traditional carbon black production generates high emissions, Monolith’s plasma pyrolysis process, which has been developed in collaboration with Mines Paris, uses renewable electricity to convert conventional, renewable, or responsibly-sourced natural gas into carbon black and hydrogen, modernising two age-old processes. Monolith’s first-of-its-kind innovation generates virtually no local emissions, it claims.
This announcement follows Monolith’s partnership with The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company for select tyres. Supported by Mines Paris research, Monolith’s carbon black product resulted in the first use of low-emission carbon black in tyre manufacturing.
Headquartered in Lincoln, Nebraska, Monolith currently operates its commercial-scale production facility in Hallam and has offices and R&D facilities in California, Denver, and Kansas City.