Turning Water into Fuel
Elementarhy uses a revolutionary plasma technology, positioning it as a leader in supplying cost-efficient and scalable Membrane Electrode Assemblies (MEAs) to electrolyzer manufacturers. We develop, produce, and recycle customer-centric MEAs, while minimizing the use of critical raw materials (-95%), delivering outstanding performance and best-in-class quality.
Interview with Gustav Sievers, CEO/CTO and Zahra Nasri, CSO/ Quality Management, Elementarhy
Revolution in Electrolyzer Efficiency and Sustainability
CHEManager: Can you briefly tell us about your start-up and what inspired you to launch it?
Gustav Sievers: Elementarhy is an innovative green technology startup dedicated to transforming the energy economy. We urgently need the link between renewable energy and molecules. Splitting water is the first step. We aim to provide solutions for the electrochemical energy transformation through the development of Membrane Electrode Assemblies—MEAs—for electrolyzers. We understood the need for energy security and cost efficiency during the 2022 European energy crisis and started positioning Elementarhy as a leader in the green hydrogen supply chain. We have developed the missing part to make the hydrogen economy possible. With our MEA, we make green hydrogen production cost-efficient and scalable. This can be translated into fertilizer, methanol, eFuels or other chemicals. Our technology enables manufacturers to produce 20x more electrolyzer, reduces the cost up to 50% and increases supply security.
What does the name Elementarhy mean?
G. Sievers: In our energy society we have a big technological change upcoming. We need to electrify all fossil molecules like fertilizer, methanol, fuels and much more. For this hydrogen is elementary.
To build a hydrogen production system, you’d typically start with the electrochemical “chip”. The MEA where the water splitting is done. This defines the performance and the durability of the whole hydrogen production system.
What is your core innovation?Tell us about your membrane electrode assembly technology—what makes it unique?
Zahra Nasri: Elementarhy’s key innovation is a patented, plasma-based technology that dramatically reduces the reliance on critical raw materials like iridium, using up to 20x less iridium than traditional solutions. This reduction in catalyst consumption directly translates into lower production costs and alleviates the bottleneck for iridium, a key concern for manufacturers. By utilizing plasma-based processes to built MEA, Elementarhy offers a more scalable, cost-efficient, and environmentally friendly solution compared to conventional methods.
Why does this matter now? How does your solution contribute to a zero emission society, and what advantages does it offer over existing approaches?
Z. Nasri: The green hydrogen market today faces significant cost challenges, including the reliance on fossil fuels and the need to meet ambitious decarbonization goals set by governments worldwide. Hydrogen production must be scaled up by 200× to achieve net-zero targets, which is currently impossible. Existing green hydrogen production methods involve high costs, critical raw materials, and limited scalability, showing the need for better solutions.
In simple terms, Elementarhy provides the missing piece to enable the scaling of green hydrogen production. By lowering the consumption of critical raw materials (-95%), ensuring performance, and offering scalable, cost-efficient solutions, Elementarhy is poised to lead the green tech revolution in the hydrogen economy. Elementarhy’s MEAs are also recyclable, offering long-term sustainability for manufacturers and end-users.
Can you highlight key milestones—such as funding rounds, pilot projects, or industry recognition?
G. Sievers: We began our journey in 2013 with a groundbreaking discovery, achieving record-breaking activity published in Nature Materials, and validated through collaborations with research institutions such as the German Aerospace Center. We raised €3.6 million non-dilutive grants through funding, won the Leibniz Price, and werenamed the best European hydrogen startup 2025. We’ve secured customer orders and established high testing capabilities with global product library across Asia, Europe and America for customer-centric solutions. So far we have achieved >10.000 hours runtime with a single MEA. We aim for our first pilot project to start this year.
What are your goals for the next year or two?
G. Sievers: We have a small-scale production line in operation — TRL 6+. We are raising funding aiming for scaled mass production, with steps at 100 kW at TRL 7 and >400 kW at TRL 8 with a first MW innovation line PEM electrolyzer stack of a customer at late stage TRL 8.
We want to transform current validation projects into binding contracts for joined MW projects, improve the production process from the current TRL 6 to TRL 8 and minimize costs in industrial scaling.
Personal Profile Gustav Sievers
a trained environmental scientist and an expert in electrochemistry, is at the forefront of Elementarhy’s technological innovations with a strong focus on customer coordination, innovation, and patent development. As a serial enterpreneur he brings extensive expertise in building hardware-focused companies and leading electrochemical research projects. His leadership has resulted in successful collaborations with the University of Copenhagen and the German Aerospace Center (DLR), where his innovative methods for PEM electrolysis were successfully validated. He is committed to driving the Exist research transfer initiative, translating scientific innovations into market-ready products.
© Elementarhy
Personal Profile Zahra Nasri
holds a Ph.D. in analytical chemistry and is an expert in catalysis and electrochemical applications. At Elementarhy, Zahra Nasri oversees quality management, ensuring that each membrane electrode assembly meets the company’s rigorous standards. Her in-depth knowledge of electrochemical processes and catalysts drives continuous improvements in product performance and supports the long-term durability of Elementarhy’s solutions.
© Elementarhy
Business Idea
Scaling Hydrogen to live in a Zero-Emission Society
Elementarhy, drawing on over 60 years of electrochemical and energy business expertise, provides the key component for electrolyzers: the high-margin Membrane Electrode Assembly (MEA). Through a unique approach that combines the innovative solution with a flexible production strategy, advanced testing, and a global reach, Elementarhy solves the Gordian knot of balancing cost, quality, and scalability. The company’s tailored solutions and strategic partnerships empower electrolyzer manufacturers to reduce their supply costs and increase security of supply.
Elementarhy’s business model ensures high flexibility and low prices through small-scale customization during the product validation phase. Once the optimal product fit is established, the company leverages scalable options. The sales cycle for Elementarhy is a long-term, consultative process designed to build strong, trust-based relationships with electrolyzer manufacturers. Spanning 10 – 16 months, this cycle focuses on understanding customer needs, offering tailored solutions, and establishing a deep level of mutual trust. The process involves frequent, iterative testing and refinement based on customer feedback, ensuring that the product is perfectly aligned with the customer’s needs.
Elementarhy thrives on partnerships with industry leaders across the value chain to ensure innovation, scalability, and quality. Elementarhy operates a global supply chain, ensuring flexibility, resilience, and cost optimization offers customers access to best-in-class MEA designs tailored to their specific stack requirements.
State-of-the-art testing capabilities allow Elementarhy to optimize the fit and performance of MEAs for individual customers. This includes rapid on-site customization at the current production line to match specific customer needs while keeping costs low. These capabilities reduce the need for customer-side testing and CAPEX investment, accelerating time-to-market for new electrolyzer stacks.
Elevator Pitch
Next-Level Membrane Electrode Assembly
We have developed the Membrane Electrode Assembly (MEA) for PEM electrolyzer that only needs 25 g/MW Iridium compared to 500 g/MW of competitors at the same performance. We reduce the costs of the MEA of up to 50% and increase the security of supply. This significant reduction lowers the dependence on imports and cuts costs. In addition, we provide a plug and play performance guarantee, which reduces assembly times for our customers. Finally, our e|MEA is already PFAS-free in the catalyst layer, ensuring that our customers are not affected by the targeted PFAS ban in 2026, in contrast to competitor products.
Milestones
2013
- Invention of technology
- Securing several public funding grants
2014
- First Patent
2019-2022
- Validation project funded by BMBF to validate the technology in application
2020
- Nature Materials Paper accepted
2023
- EXIST Forschungstransfer BMWK funding 1.8 m€
2024
- Full production line running and already >20 kW produced Foundation of Elementarhy
2025
- US Patent accepted
Roadmap
Elementarhy aims to become a leading supplier in the hydrogen industry by building on its core innovation: a scalable, efficient hydrogen production system. The roadmap focuses on three key phases—expanding intellectual property through strategic patents, scaling production capabilities together with partners to meet growing demand, and establishing a strong market presence through partnerships and global reach. By combining technical innovation with sustainable manufacturing, Elementarhy is positioned to drive the next generation of clean energy solutions.
This article was published in CHEManager International 3/2025
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