Monolith Materials

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Monolith to build anhydrous ammonia plant near Hallam to use hydrogen

Monolith Materials announced earlier this year that it won't sell the hydrogen it produces as a byproduct of its carbon black manufacturing plant to Nebraska Public Power District as originally planned.

But that hydrogen will still go to a local use.

Monolith, which built the first phase of its manufacturing plant next door to NPPD's Sheldon Station near Hallam, announced Tuesday that it will build an anhydrous ammonia plant as part of its second phase.

The plant will take the hydrogen produced in the carbon black process, which currently is being vented into the atmosphere, and combine it with nitrogen to produce the liquid fertilizer that so many farmers rely on.

Monolith CEO Rob Hanson said the ammonia will be produced through a "clean" process, using hydrogen from the carbon black plant and nitrogen from the air, leading to no additional carbon dioxide emissions.
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The plant came online in June and produced its first batch of carbon black last month. Hanson said that batch is undergoing quality testing and that the plant should start sending out its first shipments of carbon black to customers in the next few weeks.

The current plant cost about $100 million and took more than three years to build. Hanson said the second-phase plant, which will be north of the existing plant, will be about 12 times as large and cost about $1 billion.

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Clean power agreement could spur $1.2 billion in wind, solar energy projects in Nebraska

Paul Hammel
Up to $1.2 billion in new wind and solar energy projects could be spurred by an agreement to provide 100% renewable energy for a proposed carbon black/anhydrous ammonia plant near Hallam, officials said Monday.

Gov. Pete Ricketts joined officials of plant developer Monolith Materials, the Nebraska Public Power District and the Norris Public Power District to announce an intent to purchase power agreement the governor called “a win-win-win for everybody.”

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With NRD well approval, Monolith Materials set to start on expansion south of Lincoln

Matt Olberding
Monolith Materials has cleared one of the last hurdles to the expansion of its carbon black plant near Hallam.

At a special meeting Tuesday night, the Lower Platte South Natural Resources District voted unanimously to approve three wells that are expected to pump up to 420 million gallons of water a year combined.

The wells are needed for what Monolith calls its Olive Creek 2 plant, which is a huge expansion of its existing operation.

The company, which moved to the Lincoln area from California several years ago, opened a $100 million plant last year south of Sheldon Station with the capacity to produce about 14,000 tons annually of carbon black, a powdery substance that's used in tires, inks, plastics and other products.

The second carbon black plant, which will be built to the north of the existing plant, will have about 12 times the production capacity and is expected to cost $1 billion or more.