HYCO1 secures three U.S. patents enabling CO2-based syngas production, improving efficiency, reducing emissions, and strengthening advanced reforming technologies.
HYCO1 has announced a significant expansion of its intellectual property portfolio following the issuance of three new U.S. patents by the United States Patent and Trademark Office. These patents further reinforce the company’s position as a leader in advanced syngas production and carbon utilization technologies. Collectively, the newly granted patents strengthen protection around HYCO1’s proprietary CUBE™ Technology, which is designed to deliver more efficient, lower-cost, and lower-carbon syngas by incorporating carbon dioxide as an active feedstock rather than treating it solely as an emission to be mitigated.
With these patent grants, HYCO1 now holds comprehensive coverage across the full spectrum of industrial gas reforming processes. This includes pure dry reforming of methane (DRM) using CO2, traditional steam methane reforming (SMR), and hybrid “bi-reforming” approaches that combine elements of both technologies. The breadth of this protection allows HYCO1 to tailor syngas compositions to meet diverse downstream requirements for fuels, chemicals, and advanced materials, while simultaneously improving efficiency and reducing carbon intensity.
The first of the newly issued patents, U.S. Patent No. 12,214,355, covers a novel catalyst specifically developed for the dry reforming of methane with carbon dioxide. This catalyst enables the production of syngas with high productivity while eliminating the formation of coke, a common challenge that degrades catalyst performance and shortens operating life in conventional reforming processes. By addressing coking directly, this technology supports stable, long-term operation under demanding industrial conditions.
The second patent, U.S. Patent No. 12,297,109, focuses on improved catalyst systems for steam methane reforming. This invention reduces overall energy consumption and lowers the required steam-to-carbon ratios, enabling higher syngas yields from both conventional hydrocarbon feedstocks and renewable gas streams. The result is a more flexible and energy-efficient SMR pathway that can adapt to evolving feedstock availability and sustainability goals.
HYCO1’s most recent patent, U.S. Patent No. 12,508,577, extends protection to advanced catalysts and methods that enable bi-reforming. This approach allows operators to combine DRM and SMR within a single platform, producing customized hydrogen-to-carbon monoxide ratios that fall between traditional SMR and DRM operating conditions. This flexibility is particularly valuable for producers seeking to optimize syngas composition for specific end uses while integrating CO2 into the process.
Together, these patents protect HYCO1’s capability to utilize carbon dioxide—whether added externally or naturally present in feedstock streams—as a productive input. The technologies enable the generation of low-cost, low-carbon syngas while supporting both retrofit applications for existing reformers and the development of new, high-efficiency, low-emissions facilities.
Beyond intellectual property protection, HYCO1’s patented technologies offer tangible operational benefits. By enhancing SMR and autothermal reforming (ATR) performance, the approach lowers methane feedstock costs, reduces energy demand, increases output per unit of gas, and ensures non-coking operation with improved reactivity. Importantly, operators can implement these improvements incrementally—starting with catalyst replacement, followed by operating condition optimization, and ultimately incorporating captured CO2 as a co-feedstock—without abandoning existing infrastructure.
Commenting on the milestone, HYCO1 CEO Greg Carr emphasized a shift in perspective around carbon management. He stated that carbon dioxide should be viewed not merely as an environmental liability, but as a valuable resource capable of unlocking economic and environmental benefits simultaneously. According to Carr, the issuance of these patents enables HYCO1 to accelerate collaboration with partners seeking proven, bankable solutions that improve profitability while reducing carbon footprints.
Ultimately, the patented technologies provide end-to-end coverage across syngas production pathways, protect both catalyst compositions and operating methods, eliminate coking, enhance durability, and enable CO2 monetization without reliance on green subsidies—positioning HYCO1 at the forefront of industrial decarbonization.
