STORMING: Rethinking hydrogen, one breakthrough at a time

Hydrogen is widely recognised as a key element of Europe’s clean energy transition, with the potential to power industries, store renewable energy, and reduce emissions in hard-to-decarbonise sectors. Yet, most hydrogen produced today still relies on fossil fuels, resulting in significant CO₂ emissions. 

The STORMING project, funded under the Horizon Europe – research programme, set out to address this challenge by finding a method to produce hydrogen without CO₂ emissions.

Turning methane into a clean resource

Methane is widely used as an energy source, but it is also a major contributor to climate change. Instead of avoiding it altogether, STORMING explored a different approach: how to use methane without releasing CO₂ into the atmosphere.

Over a three-year period, STORMING focused on methane catalytic cracking, a process that splits methane (CH₄) into hydrogen (H₂) and solid carbon. Unlike conventional hydrogen production methods, this process avoids direct CO₂ emissions.

Importantly, the carbon produced is not release as waste, it remains in solid form with potential as a valuable material for industrial applications such as carbon nanomaterials, for example in batteries.

The project’s approach is compatible with both fossil-based and renewable methane sources.

Designing advanced reactors and catalysts

To make this project efficient, a major challenge was designing reactors that could efficiently and sustainably perform methane splitting. The STORMING team developed structured reactors powered by electricity, including renewable sources, using advanced heating techniques such as Joule, microwave, and induction heating to precisely control the reaction.

In parallel, the project designed iron-based catalysts tailored to improve performance, durability, and regeneration, combining theoretical modelling with experimental validation. Together, the reactor design and catalyst development make hydrogen production more energy-efficient and economically viable.

From laboratory to real-world conditions

After three years, the STORMING project has concluded, demonstrating the feasibility of producing hydrogen from methane without CO₂ emissions. The results, validated in conditions closer to real-world applications (Technology Readiness Level 5), support further development and potential exploitation of this approach to clean hydrogen production.

The project brought together universities, research organisation, and industry partners across Europe, coordinated by the University of Bologna. The project also included activities on stakeholder engagement and public awareness, helping build acceptance of hydrogen technologies. 

Contributing to Europe’s green transition

By demonstrating a pathway to hydrogen production without CO₂ emissions, STORMING contributes to EU climate objectives and ongoing efforts to decarbonise energy-intensive sectors. At the same time, the project highlights how industrial processes can be redesigned to reduce emissions while economically meaningful and aligned with circular economy principles.

Looking forward, the project’s results support further development and potential exploitation of the technology.

For more information, please see the EU factsheet.

Article published on 21 April 2026