The potential of turquoise hydrogen: SPIRIT gets down to business
25 February 2026 - ProjectsSPIRIT: Sustainable Innovative and Revolutionary Production of Turquoise Hydrogen. The 4-million-euro project has been positively evaluated by the Lombardy Region through the Collaborate & Innovate Measure and involves Pietro Fiorentini, X-nano, Enipower, Edison, Ampere Transition, and the University of Milan-Bicocca.
Everything revolves around turquoise hydrogen, obtained through methane pyrolysis: this process uses high temperatures to break down natural gas into gaseous hydrogen and solid carbon. By transforming carbon into solid, and not in carbon dioxide, it reduces polluting emissions and production costs are lower compared to green hydrogen. Turquoise hydrogen is a low-emission solution and a promising technology for promoting the decarbonization of hard-to-abate industries, where polluting emissions are difficult to reduce.
And the potential of turquoise hydrogen is not limited to zero CO2 emissions. Its production via pyrolysis is less energy-intensive (requiring one-eighth of the energy used to produce hydrogen via electrolysis) and constant, unaffected by renewable energy sources fluctuations. Natural gas is a resource that is always available and enjoys widespread distribution that can be widely exploited for future uses.
In addition, solid carbon is also obtained from the turquoise hydrogen production via pyrolysis. The possible applications of solid carbon are being evaluated, particularly in the battery and steel industries. This carbon, refined into high value-added materials such as graphite for lithium-ion batteries, becomes a strategic resource, fueling the electric mobility revolution and strengthening critical supply chains.
The project aims to develop a pilot plant to validate the technology for the efficient production of turquoise hydrogen and solid carbon on a pre-industrial scale. In a second phase, the project involves the design of an industrial version, modeled on the needs of end users and potential use in district heating networks.
Here’s the value of SPIRIT: to combine the technological, industrial, and academic expertise of all participating partners, from technology validation to characterization and enhancement of the materials produced, to technical and economic analyses of future applications.
X-nano, the startup born from a spin-off of the Italian Institute of Technology, developed the technology behind the entire project, for which a patent application has been filed. This innovative technology will enable hydrogen production through the pyrolysis of natural gas. This is the process by which natural gas, heated in the absence of oxygen, is broken down into hydrogen and solid carbon, without generating carbon dioxide.
The solid carbon obtained is not only a by-product of the process, but also a strategic resource with high added value. This is where the University of Milan-Bicocca comes in, playing a key role by contributing to the synthesis, functionalization, and characterization of materials for battery applications.
In addition to the valorization of solid carbon, Ampere Transition has developed technical and economic scenarios to validate the advantages of this technology in the decarbonization of various hard-to-abate industrial sectors, including steel and cement, and district heating.
Finally, the involvement of Enipower and Edison is crucial in defining the specifications of the industrial prototype for real use cases and in assessing the applicability and sustainability of the technology at their district heating plants in Lombardy (a region in the North of Italy).
Pietro Fiorentini is the project leader, with the task of engineering the prototype and developing the needs and specifications of end users in order to prepare the design of an integrated industrial plant at a typical installation.
Sustainable Innovative and Revolutionary Production of Turquoise Hydrogen.
Ambitious and visionary, SPIRIT focuses on decarbonization, circular economy, and everyday life. Launched last February, it will continue until 2027 as a regional program under the European Regional Development Fund/PR FESR 2021-2027.
SPIRIT is a project carried out with the support of resources from the European Union, the Italian State, and the Lombardy Region, in accordance with Regulation (EU) No. 2021/1060 and subsequent amendments, Articles 46, 47, 50, and Annex IX.
Misura Collabora & Innova is the Lombardy Region’s call for proposals aimed at promoting complex industrial research and experimental development projects carried out in collaboration between SMEs, large companies, and research organizations, to encourage large strategic investments for the development of product or process innovations.
Focus on: X-nano
X-nano, nanotechnology for the energy transition, is a spin-off of the Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia (IIT). Leveraging the expertise acquired in the preparation of materials and coatings through low-environmental-impact physical processes, X-nano creates nanomaterials with properties that have remained unexplored until now. In fact, nanotechnology plays an increasingly crucial role in the energy transition, with applications ranging from hydrogen production to next-generation batteries, and even the nuclear energy of the future, including fusion. X-nano has already developed several advanced materials for battery production, from synthetic graphite created through “green” processes to high-performance nanostructured electrodes for vanadium redox flow batteries. These materials, among the most critical for the development of sustainable mobility and the integration of renewables into the power grid, will enable the development of batteries that are more sustainable, more efficient, and independent of geopolitical supply chain dynamics.
x-nano.it
Focus on: Ampere Transition
Ampere Transition is an innovative startup that supports companies and individuals in seizing the opportunities enabled by the energy transition and sustainability, turning them into tangible competitive advantages. Through strategic and operational consulting services and training activities, it helps organizations improve their economic and financial performance as well as their sustainability performance, with a strong focus on environmental aspects and decarbonization. Thanks to an independent and multidisciplinary approach, Ampere Transition positions itself as a partner in transforming sustainability from a regulatory obligation into a strategic lever for innovation and growth, contributing to making the energy transition a conscious process oriented toward long-term value creation.
amperetransition.com
Focus on: Edison
Edison is a leading energy company with over 140 years of history and achievements, making it the oldest operator in the sector in Europe. Today, Edison employs over 6,000 people, operating in Italy and Europe in renewable and low-carbon production, natural gas supply and sales, sustainable mobility, and energy, environmental and value-added services for customers, businesses, local communities and the public administration. Edison has a highly flexible and efficient electricity production fleet, consisting of 250 power plants, including hydroelectric, wind, solar and high-efficiency combined cycle gas plants, with a total capacity of approximately 8 GW. It is also a key player in energy security in the supply of LNG and natural gas, thanks to a broad and highly diversified portfolio of over 14 billion cubic meters per year, capable of meeting 23% of national demand. Through Edison Next, a Group company that supports local communities and customers in their energy transition, it operates in the district heating sector in over 30 municipalities, managing 38 networks mainly powered by wood biomass from local short supply chains.
edisonenergia.it
Focus on: Enipower
Enipower is an Eni company, established in November 1999, dedicated to the production of electricity and steam. Today, Enipower, directly or through its subsidiaries, owns five power plants located in Brindisi, Ferrara, Mantua, Ravenna, and Ferrera Erbognone (Pavia), as well as a cogeneration plant in Bolgiano (San Donato Milanese), with a total installed operating capacity of approximately 5.1 GW. This asset portfolio places the company among Italy’s leading electricity producers and as the country’s top producer of industrial steam.
eni.com
Focus on: University of Milan-Bicocca
The University of Milan-Bicocca is a public, multidisciplinary university with campuses in Milan and Monza, and a recognised point of reference for education, research, and urban sustainability. It hosts approximately 40,000 students and comprises more than 1,180 faculty members and researchers, organised into 14 Departments, 8 of which have been designated as Departments of excellence. Among these, the Department of Materials Science integrates expertise in chemistry, physics, and engineering to develop advanced materials for applications in renewable energy, electronics, optoelectronics, sensing technologies, and nanomedicine, with a strong focus on nanotechnologies. The educational offering includes undergraduate and master’s degree programmes, also taught in English, as well as doctoral programmes, supported by state-of-the-art laboratories and a strong integration between research and industry.
en.unimib.it
