Sbir phase II: joule-heated sorbent-enhanced catalysis for high-purity methane production in semiconductor and advanced carbon material manufacturing

The National Science Foundation awarded Circularity Fuels, Inc. a $1.25 million Cooperative Agreement on August 1, 2026, to develop a joule-heated sorbent-enhanced catalysis reactor system for high-purity methane production serving semiconductor and advanced carbon material manufacturing. This award is funded through the NSF Technology, Innovation, and Partnerships program (CFDA 47.084) as a Small Business Innovation Research Phase II project.

The recipient will demonstrate a compact, high-efficiency reactor capable of producing high-purity methane directly from chemical vapor deposition exhaust streams at commercial scale, with validation focused on processing dynamic, heterogeneous exhaust streams from operational diamond-growing systems. The proposed architecture is designed to be orders of magnitude smaller, faster, and more cost-efficient than conventional external-heating systems currently used for gas production. High-purity methane is currently a limiting factor in widespread adoption of lab-grown diamond across advanced semiconductors, power electronics, optics, and quantum technologies; existing production sources are prohibitively expensive and scarce. By reducing production costs and enabling greater scale, the project aims to strengthen domestic supply chains and unlock growth in next-generation technology industries.

Work is performed in Redwood City, California, with a period of performance from August 1, 2026, through July 31, 2028.

Abstract

The broader/commercial impact of this SBIR phase II project is the development of a new reactor system that dramatically reduces the cost of producing high-purity gases critical to advanced materials manufacturing. High-purity methane is currently a limiting factor in the widespread adoption of lab-grown diamond across advanced semiconductors, power electronics, optics, and quantum technologies. Because existing sources of these gases are prohibitively expensive and scarce, growth in these industries has been constrained. By enabling production of high-purity methane at a fraction of current costs, this project will unlock new opportunities for U.S. Manufacturers to advance next-generation technologies, strengthen domestic supply chains. This small business innovation research (SBIR) phase II project addresses the challenge of producing high-purity gases needed for advanced carbon material growth at a lower cost and with greater scale. Traditional production reactors rely on external temperature control and stable, predictable feedstock flows, making them poorly suited for dynamic processes where gas composition and flow rates vary with growth phase and reactor demand. The technical objective of this project is to demonstrate a compact, high-efficiency, joule-heated gas conversion reactor capable of producing high-purity methane directly from chemical vapor deposition exhaust streams at commercial scale. The research will focus on validating the reactor?S ability to process dynamic, heterogeneous exhaust streams from operational diamond-growing systems. The proposed reactor architecture is orders of magnitude smaller, faster, and more cost-efficient than conventional systems. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.- subawards are not planned for this award.