Title: Decarbonization, Valorization of Residual Gases, and Clean Energy Generation in the Oil and Petrochemical Industry Through the Catalytic Conversion of Light Hydrocarbons Into Carbon Nanomaterials and Hydrogen

Greenhouse gases such as CO₂, CH₄, and NOₓ intensify global warming by trapping solar radiation and limiting heat dissipation. In 2024, global CO₂ emissions reached 40.8 billion tons, with 35.5 bt from energy generation, 3.2 bt from construction material production, and 321 million tons from routine gas flaring. Flaring not only drives environmental degradation but also wastes recoverable energy resources. Global climate action plans aim to reduce CO₂ emissions by 25–95% by 2050 to keep temperature rise below 1.5 °C, beyond which glacier melting, sea level rise, and extreme weather events would accelerate. Our company has developed an innovative catalytic process that converts residual gases into carbon nanotubes and hydrogen without producing CO₂. Carbon nanotubes, used in lithium-ion batteries and lightweight, high-strength materials for automotive, aerospace, wind energy, and construction industries, support greenhouse gas reduction. The hydrogen produced can replace natural gas in clean energy generation. We are building the world’s largest carbon nanotube reactor, with a capacity of 1,500 metric tons per year, scheduled to begin operations at our Norman facility in Q3 2026, marking a key milestone in the transition to a low-carbon energy system.

Dr. Ricardo Prada Silvy is CTO of Chasm Advanced Materials and an Adjunct Professor at the University of Oklahoma, internationally recognized for his expertise in catalytic process development and scale-up for oil refining, petrochemicals, and carbon nanomaterials. With over 35 years in industry and academia, he has held executive and technical/managerial leadership roles, driving the development and commercialization of innovative technologies. He designed and patented the world’s largest carbon nanotube reactor, set to begin operation in 2026, and is the inventor of 40+ international patents, most of which have been commercialized. He has published over 120 articles in leading scientific and Oil & Gas journals and is an invited speaker at international conferences on catalysis, energy, and carbon nanotube technology.

CHASM

Web: www.chasmtek.com

CHASM is pioneering using carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and CNT hybrids to create solutions that offer superior performance, lower cost, sustainability, and greater scalability than traditional material solutions. Chasm advanced solutions are adopted in cement decarbonization, water purification, and printed electronics.

The printed electronic solutions provide transparent, highly efficient defogging and de-icing heaters for automotive advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS), strengthening road safety and vehicle autonomy. These mass-produced solutions also enable transparency to all antennas and ensure the exponential increase of antenna deployment in the 5G acceleration.