A rediscovered experiment sparks new energy innovation
A hydrogen pyrolysis startup just turned a decades-old industrial accident into a $27 million opportunity. Tulum Energy, founded from within the Techint Group, is now leading a cleaner path to hydrogen production by reviving a forgotten method discovered over 20 years ago. In the early 2000s, engineers noticed something strange in an electric arc furnace—the carbon electrodes were expanding instead of degrading. They had unknowingly triggered a pyrolysis reaction, splitting methane into pure hydrogen and solid carbon, without emitting CO₂. At the time, the finding was filed away—hydrogen just wasn’t a priority yet.
Image Credits:JOHN MACDOUGALL/AFP / Getty Images
Hydrogen pyrolysis startup born from a hidden breakthrough
Fast forward two decades, and the race to produce clean hydrogen is heating up. As climate goals tighten, companies are exploring methane pyrolysis as a low-emission alternative to traditional hydrogen production. That’s when Techint’s venture arm, TechEnergy Ventures, stumbled upon its own archived research. Realizing the potential, they launched Tulum Energy—a hydrogen pyrolysis startup focused on scaling this old-but-promising method. The idea: extract hydrogen from methane without the harmful emissions, and capture the resulting carbon in a solid, reusable form.
$27M seed funding powers commercial hydrogen goals
Backed by investors who believe in its methane pyrolysis approach, Tulum Energy has now raised $27 million in a seed round led by TDK Ventures and CDP Venture Capital. Other backers include Doral Energy-Tech Ventures, MITO Tech Ventures, and TechEnergy Ventures. According to CEO Massimiliano Pieri, the funding will be used to refine their commercial reactors and move toward pilot-scale hydrogen production. Unlike traditional methods that emit large amounts of carbon dioxide, pyrolysis offers a cleaner alternative by separating methane into usable elements without burning it.
Why Tulum Energy’s approach matters in the hydrogen economy
With global hydrogen demand expected to skyrocket, Tulum’s technology could offer a competitive edge in low-emission fuel production. The startup’s unique origin story adds credibility—it wasn’t just chasing trends but reviving proven science that had been forgotten. As the world searches for scalable, clean hydrogen solutions, this hydrogen pyrolysis startup might just be ahead of the curve again—this time, on purpose.
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