Twitter headlinesHydrogen Production
[Due to the increasing size of the archives, each topic page now contains only the prior 365 days of content. Access to older stories is now solely through the Monthly Archive pages or the site search function.]
Bio-Platinum Hybrid Catalyst for Solar Hydrogen Production Can Deliver Up to 25x Greater Energy Yield Than Current Biomass-to-Fuel Strategies
November 11, 2009
| Schematic of the electron flow in the photosystem I catalytic nanoparticle. Source: Iwuchukwu et al., Nature Nanotechnology. Click to enlarge. |
Researchers at the University of Tennessee at Knoxville have shown that a combination of photosystem I from a thermophilic bacterium and cytochrome-c6 can, in combination with a platinum catalyst, generate a stable supply of hydrogen in vitro upon illumination. A paper on their work was published online 8 November in the journal Nature Nanotechnology.
The system produces hydrogen at temperatures up to 55 °C (131 °F) and is temporally stable for >85 days with no decrease in hydrogen yield when tested intermittently. The maximum yield is ~5.5 mmol H2 h-1 mg-1 chlorophyll and is estimated to be ~25-fold greater than current biomass-to-fuel strategies. If scaled linearly, a solar collector 1 acre in size with a solution depth of 10 cm operating at 55 °C would be capable of producing hydrogen with an energy yield equivalent to that of 300 litres of gasoline per hectare per day (gross yield, ignoring production separation and distribution energy costs).
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Researchers Develop Bacterial Enzyme-Based Catalyst for Water-Gas Shift Reaction at Ambient Conditions; New Thinking About Catalyst Design
September 22, 2009
| Researchers used coupled enzymes for the WGS reaction at ambient temperature. Source: ACS. Click to enlarge. |
A team of researchers from the UK and US have developed a coupled bacterial enzyme-based catalyst for the important water-gas shift reaction (WGS) for the production of hydrogen from syngas. A paper on the work was published online in the Journal of the American Chemical Society on 15 September.
The water-gas shift (WGS) reaction for the production of hydrogen from carbon monoxide and water (CO + H2O ↔ CO2 + H2) typically requires high temperatures typically in excess of 200 °C and a metal catalyst. The team, led by Fraser Armstrong at Oxford, separated the WGS process into two half-cell electrochemical reactions (H+ reduction and CO oxidation), catalyzed by bacterial enzymes attached to a conducting particle.
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US DOE Announces up to $40M for Designing and Planning Next Generation Nuclear Plants; Integration of Nuclear Process Heat and Hydrogen with Other Industrial Processes
September 19, 2009
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| Illustration of the integration of a high temperature gas-cooled reactor with commercial manufacturing, hydrogen production, and the generation of electricity. Source: INL. Click to enlarge. |
The US Department of Energy has issued a Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) for up to $40 million to support cost-shared design and planning work for the Next Generation Nuclear Plant (NGNP). NGNP is envisioned to extend the application of nuclear energy into the broader industrial and transportation sectors, reducing fuel use and pollution and improving on the safety of existing commercial light water reactor technology.
Next Generation Nuclear Plants will use new, high temperature, gas-cooled reactor technologies to produce energy that is able to run both a primary and a secondary industrial application—for example, generating electricity while supporting petroleum refining or bio- and synthetic-fuel production through the provision of hydrogen and/or the provision of process heat.
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New Three-Component Catalyst Efficiently Produces Hydrogen From Sun and Aqueous Solutions with Sulfur
August 17, 2009
| An artificial photocatalyst can achieve quantum efficiency up to 93% in photocatalytic H2 production from Na2S–Na2SO3 aqueous solution under visible light irradiation. Yan et al. Click to enlarge. |
Researchers at the Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics (DICP), Chinese Academy of Sciences have developed a new three-component photocatalyst that produces hydrogen with a quantum efficiency (QE) of up to 93% in the presence of sacrificial reagents under visible light irradiation, and is very stable under the photocatalytic reaction conditions.
The catalyst—cadmium sulfide doped with palladium sulfide and platinum (Pt–PdS/Cd)—can achieve its extremely high QE with loadings as low as 0.30 wt% of Pt and 0.13 wt% of PdS as co-catalysts on CdS. Quantum efficiency can be expressed as the number of product molecules to incident photons.
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USCAR Argues for Continued US Funding of Hydrogen Fuel Cell Vehicle Research
July 30, 2009
| Projected hydrogen fuel cell system costs. Click to enlarge. |
The United States Council for Automotive Research (USCAR) recently published a whitepaper on the importance of continued research of hydrogen as a low-carbon transportation solution, in the context of the proposed cutting of hydrogen fuel cell vehicle research in the Department of Energy FY2010 budget. (Earlier post.) The whitepaper is available for download on the USCAR website.
A separate interim report by the National Research Council (NRC) assessing the strategy and structure of the Department of Energy’s FreedomCAR and Fuel Partnership, also published in July, concluded that although the Obama Administration’s focus on nearer-term vehicle technologies to reduce petroleum fuel consumption and greenhouse gas emissions is on the right track, there remains a need for continued investment in longer-term, higher-risk, higher-payoff vehicle technologies that could be “highly transformational ” with regard to those twin concerns. In addition to advanced batteries, such technologies include systems for hydrogen storage and hydrogen fuel cells, the review panel said. (Earlier post.)
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Leeds Researchers Working on More Energy-Efficient Steam Reforming Process for Hydrogen from Waste Materials
July 13, 2009
Researchers at the University of Leeds (UK) investigating a more energy-efficient steam-reforming process for hydrogen production from waste materials, including vegetable oil and the glycerol by-product from biodiesel production (earlier post), recently reported optimal H2 production from the steam reforming of glycerol at 500 °C, with in situ CO2 removal using calcined dolomite as the sorbent. The results appeared in the journal Bioresource Technology.
The system being developed at Leeds—Unmixed and Sorption-Enhanced Steam Reforming—relies on the cyclic oxidation of a bed of nickel-based material and on the simultaneous regeneration of a CO2-sorbent under airflow to provide the heat necessary for the steam reforming reaction. The latter occurs subsequently under a fuel/steam flow while the airflow is interrupted.
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Proterra Fuel Cell Hybrid Bus in DoD Hydrogen Energy Cycle Pilot Project
July 11, 2009
Colorado-based Proterra LLC, a manufacturer of electric drive commercial transportation solutions (battery-electric and range-extended EVs) from city transit buses to class 4-8 trucks (earlier post), will provide a hydrogen fuel cell hybrid bus (earlier post) for use a US Department of Defense (DoD) pilot project designed to test an end-to-end clean hydrogen energy cycle.
Led by the Center for Transportation and the Environment (CTE), the pilot project will include all elements of a clean hydrogen energy cycle, including local hydrogen generation via waste water treatment digester gas cleanup and reformation; bulk hydrogen storage, transport and dispensing; and hydrogen load in the form of 19 fuel-cell powered electric forklifts and Proterra’s fuel cell powered bus.
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European Fuel Cells and Hydrogen Joint Technology Initiative Launches €140M Call for Proposals
July 03, 2009
The European Fuel Cells and Hydrogen (FCH) Joint Technology Initiative (JTI) has issued a second call for proposals for research. Around €140 million (US$196 million) has been allocated to this second call, with €71.3 million by the Commission matched by in-kind contributions of the industrial partners. The FCH JTI, an EU-wide collaborative private-public partnership, has a total budget amounts around €1 billion (US$1.4 billion) to be invested in hydrogen and fuel cell research and development by 2014. (Earlier post.)
The 29 project topics in the second call aim to put fuel cell and hydrogen energy technologies on the market two to five years sooner than what is estimated without the support the JTI offers. Selected teams of researchers will investigate bottlenecks in the whole range of applications for these energy technologies, from cars to large scale power plants, as well as the whole supply chain from hydrogen production to demonstration of the market-readiness of applications.
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Researchers Demonstrate Potential for Co-Production of Hydrogen from Cellulosic Ethanol Byproducts Via Gasification in Supercritical Water
June 20, 2009
| Concept for hydrogen gas coproduction from cellulosic ethanol byproduct streams. Credit: ACS. Click to enlarge. |
Researchers at Oregon State University have demonstrated the gasification of water-soluble biomass constituents in supercritical water in a microchannel reactor under isothermal, continuous flow condition at short residence times to produce a hydrogen-rich gas. This could potentially lead to a process for the co-production of hydrogen with certain cellulosic ethanol systems.
A paper on their work, which, according to the authors, is the also the first reported study on the gasification of xylose by supercritical water, was published online 19 June in the ACS journal Energy & Fuels.
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California Air Resources Board Pushes for Restoration of DOE Funding for Hydrogen Fuel Cell Vehicles; Tackles the “Four Miracles”
June 19, 2009
California Air Resources Board Chairman Mary Nichols met with US Energy Secretary Steven Chu in May and followed up that meeting with a letter, urging the continuation of funding to support research, development and deployment of hydrogen fuel cell vehicles. Nichols is also requesting a follow-on meeting between ARB technical staff, DOE technical staff and the several automakers pursuing fuel cell vehicles to continue the “dialog and investigation”.
The Obama Administration’s 2010 Department of Energy (DOE) budget proposes cutting the federal hydrogen fuel cell research and deployment budget by more than two-thirds ($130 million), eliminating funds for the hydrogen fuel cell vehicle program and market transformation programs. (Earlier post.)
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Oil Drum Licenses On-Board Hydrogen Generator for Baltic States
June 03, 2009
University of Kent (UK) spin-off Oil Drum Ltd, has signed a licensing deal with UAB Hydro2 that will enable its on-board hydrogen generator technology to be manufactured, sold and installed in the Baltic States. The deal will allow UAB Hydro2 to manufacture, sell and install the Save-Fuel On Demand Hydrogen Technology for the truck, bus and coach industries in Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia.
The retrofit device reduces fuel consumption by adding hydrogen, produced by electrolysis, into the engine via the air intake of the vehicle before the combustion process. As a result the engine burns fuel more efficiently and produces less particulate emissions and reduces the vehicle’s environmental impact.
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DOE to Award Up to $5M in Grants for R&D on Hydrogen Production from Coal
June 02, 2009
The US Department of Energy has issued up to a $5-million Funding Opportunity Announcement (DE-FOA-0000103) to solicit laboratory-level R&D projects to develop novel technologies for producing hydrogen from coal. The program, which is an initiative supportive of the National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) Fuels/Hydrogen Program Area, is seeking applications in two areas: novel, non-precious metal hydrogen separation for use with coal-generated syngas; and general coal-based hydrogen production R&D.
The program is intended to reduce environmental concerns associated with energy use in automotive and stationary power applications through clean production of hydrogen from coal in tandem with carbon sequestration, and is to ensure availability of hydrogen in sufficient volumes for fuel cell-powered vehicles expected to enter the transportation market sector in the future, according to the FOA.
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Dutch Researchers Developing Catalytic System for Producing Hydrogen from Gas-Fired Power Stations
April 29, 2009
| Cartoon of the proposed combined hydrogen and conventional power plant (top). Combined methane combustion, coking and generation of H2 and coke combustion (bottom). More H2 can form via the water–gas shift reaction if CO is present. Credit: RSC. Click to enlarge. |
Researchers at the University of Amsterdam in the Netherlands are developing ceria-based catalysts as candidates for integrating methane combustion and hydrogen generation in power plants. The proposed process combines methane combustion, coking, simultaneous generation of hydrogen and coke combustion.
The process can be applied in existing gas-fired power plants, using methane from both fossil and renewable sources. In a paper published in the RSC journal Green Chemistry, the team led by Dr. Gadi Rothenberg showed that good results can be obtained from ceria-based catalysts with platinum, ruthenium, and importantly, nickel, with its lower cost.
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The Linde Group Develops Process to Produce Hydrogen from Glycerine; Demonstration Plant Due in Mid-2010
April 24, 2009
The Linde Group has developed a new process for the production of hydrogen from biogenic raw materials. Hydromotive GmbH, a subsidiary of The Linde Group, will build a demonstration plant from mid-2009 at its chemical site in Leuna, Germany, which will produce hydrogen from glycerol (also called glycerine). Glycerol is a by-product of biodiesel production.
The plant, which will reprocess, pyrolyze and reform raw glycerine and will come on stream in mid-2010, will produce a hydrogen-rich gas, which will be fed into the existing Leuna II hydrogen plant for the purification and liquefaction of the hydrogen. The liquefied hydrogen produced there will initially be used in German centers such as Berlin and Hamburg where hydrogen is being employed as a fuel.
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Weizmann Institute Scientists Demonstrate Novel Approach for Splitting Water into Hydrogen and Oxygen
April 06, 2009
A team from the Weizmann Institute’s Organic Chemistry Department has demonstrated a novel approach for splitting water into hydrogen and oxygen, driven by sunlight.
The approach developed by Prof. David Milstein and colleagues of the Organic Chemistry Department is divided into a sequence of reactions, which leads to the liberation of hydrogen and oxygen in consecutive thermal- and light-driven steps, mediated by a special ruthenium metal complex that Milstein’s team designed in previous studies. A report on their work was published in the 3 April issue of the journal Science.
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Enzymatic Process Converts Cellulosic Materials and Water into Hydrogen at Low Temperature; Close to Theoretical Yield of H2 From Glucose
February 17, 2009
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| Hydrogen production from cellodextrin and water by a synthetic enzymatic pathway. Ye et al. (2009) Click to enlarge. |
Researchers at Virginia Tech, Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), and the University of Georgia have produced hydrogen gas in a spontaneous, “one-pot” process using an enzyme cocktail, cellulosic materials from non-food sources, and water. The hydrogen yield was 11.2 moles per mole of anhydroglucose unit of cellobiose, corresponding to 93.3% of the theoretical yield of 12 moles. A paper on the work was published online in the journal ChemSusChem on 2 February.
In 2007, the researchers had reported the development of a novel method using a combination of 13 enzymes to form an unnatural enzymatic pathway to completely convert starch and water in one reactor into hydrogen. (Earlier post.)
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US DOE Issues Request for Information on Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Market Development; Reports to Congress on Program
February 05, 2009
The US Department of Energy (DOE) Hydrogen Program has issued a Request for Information (RFI) on potential early markets and deployment opportunities for hydrogen and fuel cells. The information gathered is intended to help DOE to identify key early markets, validate hydrogen and fuel cell system performance through data collection and communicate results, cultivate demand and accelerate market development, and reduce non-technical barriers that hinder market penetration.
At the end of January, DOE also issued the Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Activities, Progress, and Plans Report to Congress as required by the Energy Policy Act of 2005 (EPACT). Among its findings, the report notes that in DOE’s assessment, “although significant progress has been made”, fuel cell cost is still too high and durability still too low to enable industry to meet the deployment goal of 100,000 hydrogen-fueled vehicles by 2010, as specified in EPACT.
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Researchers Discover That Geometry of Al Clusters, Not Electronic Properties, Results in Water Splitting; New Way to Produce H2
January 23, 2009
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| Aluminum clusters reacting with water to produce H2. The bottom image shows a water molecule splitting on the surface of an Al17- cluster, the upper right image shows role of active sites on binding water, and the upper left image shows the release of H2. The orange and blue spheres indicate the paired active sites which cause reactivity. Image courtesy of A.C. Reber, VCU/PSU. Click to enlarge. |
Scientists at Penn State University and the Virginia Commonwealth University have discovered that the reactivity of aluminum cluster anions with water—which results in the dissociative chemisorption of water and the production of hydrogen—depends on the geometric structure of the cluster rather than its electronic properties. The findings are reported in the 23 January 2009 issue of the journal Science.
The researchers found that it is the geometries of aluminum clusters, rather than solely their electronic properties, that govern the proximity of the clusters’ exposed active sites. The proximity of the clusters’ exposed sites plays an important role in affecting the clusters’ reactions with water and the resulting production of hydrogen.
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Idaho National Lab Developing Highly Carbon-Efficient Biomass-to-Liquids Process Combining High Temperature Steam Electrolysis and Biomass Gasification
January 09, 2009
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| Overview of the Bio-Syntrolysis process. Source: INL. Click to enlarge. |
Researchers at Idaho National Laboratory (INL) are developing a process—Bio-Syntrolysis—that combines high temperature steam electrolysis (HTSE) and biomass gasification to produce syngas for subsequent conversion into synthetic fuels and chemicals. The process results in the highly efficient conversion of biomass carbon to syngas (>90%).
Given the efficiencies of a typical Fischer-Tropsch process, Bio-Syntrolysis would thus convert about 90% of the carbon in biomass to liquid synthetic fuel, INL says. By comparison, INL notes, conventional biomass or coal gasification to liquid fuels converts only ~35% of the carbon to liquid fuel. Likewise, conventional biological routes for ethanol production convert only ~35% of biomass carbon to liquid fuel.
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US Fuel Cell Council Pushes Congress for $1.17B for Hydrogen, Fuel Cell and Infrastructure Programs
December 30, 2008
The US Fuel Cell Council (USFCC), an industry association formed to foster the commercialization of fuel cells in the United State, is asking Congress to put $1.17 billion into fuel cells, hydrogen and infrastructure.
Fully funding programs of the Energy Policy Act of 2005 (EPACT) at levels Congress has already approved for FY2010, and use of other authorized funds, would account for the $1.17 billion. The US Fuel Cell Council would like to see the money applied in six basic areas: deployment programs; development of a refueling infrastructure; learning demonstrations; building domestic manufacturing capability; accelerating public-private research; and investing in fuel cell transit programs.
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DOE Funds Clemson, Savannah River National Laboratory Work on Membranes for Hybrid Sulfur Process Hydrogen Production
December 08, 2008
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| A researcher holds a piece of the fluoropolymer material. Click to enlarge. |
The US Department of Energy (DOE) has awarded Clemson University researchers, in collaboration with DOE’s Savannah River National Laboratory (SRNL), $409,000 to develop a new polymer membrane that may enable the production of hydrogen using high-temperature heat, such as that from a nuclear reactor or solar energy plants.
The research will focus on specific membranes that are a key component in the electrolyzer used to produce hydrogen. Clemson chemist Dennis Smith will lead the program to develop a new fluoropolymer material that can withstand the harsh conditions in the electrolyzer, which is used to react sulfur dioxide and water to produce hydrogen and sulfuric acid. Membranes will be supplied to Savannah River National Laboratory scientist David Hobbs and his group for evaluation.
