Vivakor Inc's potential merger partner, Empire Diversified Energy Inc, has entered into an agreement with Heartland Water Technology to establish a modern facility dedicated to producing sustainable hydrogen from food waste. This collaboration comes subsequent to the initial announcement of a proposed merger between Vivakor and Empire in March. Heartland Water Technology's CEO, Chris Beaufait, praised Empire as a leading developer of sustainable initiatives and expressed enthusiasm for their joint endeavor in constructing a state-of-the-art plant for hydrogen generation and waste treatment. The forthcoming facility is part of the Appalachian Regional Clean Hydrogen Hub under the Department of Energy and is scheduled to commence operations by late 2025. Empire's COO, Bernard Brown, emphasized the significance of leveraging this hub for collaborative research and development to showcase the positive environmental and economic outcomes achievable through investments in decentralised hydrogen infrastructure and technology.