Low-Cost Hydrogen Gas Production
Hydrogen is the most abundant element in the universe. Ironically, it doesn’t naturally occur in large quantities as a gas on Earth.
Hydrogen gas is the perfect green fuel. It can be extracted from water and is non-polluting.
Scientists have been trying to find cheap ways of hydrogen production. Electrolysis is a process during which when electricity is applied to water- Hydrogen and Oxygen are produced. This process can also be reversed to generate electricity when hydrogen and oxygen gases interact in a fuel cell
Low-Cost Hydrogen Gas Production- The Major Challenge
The Cost of electricity has been the major challenge to produce industrial quantities of hydrogen gas through electrolysis. Low-cost renewable electricity technologies have removed this barrier. Rare and expensive catalysts such as platinum and iridium are also required for the electrolytic process.
Iridium is one of the rarest and most costly elements on Earth. Also, iridium-based catalysts can only withstand electrolysis for a short time.
The catalyst cannot withstand the acidic environment used during water catalysis.
Dr. Simonov and members of his research team, including Dr. Manjunath Chatti and James Gardiner, have discovered with enormous potential to solve the instability problem, making hydrogen generation
by water electrolysis more economically viable.Low-Cost Hydrogen Gas Production- The Solution
Dr. Simonov and the team have replaced iridium with elements that are abundant, cheap, and operate more stably. They have demonstrated their stability in very strongly acidic conditions and up to 80°C. This is the industrially relevant standard. They have achieved 0% degeneration of the catalyst. He described the system as self-healing.
The Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) is funding further research, intending to produce greater efficiencies and develop a scalable electrode fabrication process, suitable for industry.
Australia, with its abundant resources such as sun and sea, has the potential to become a renewable energy superpower. By using electrolysis, hydrogen gas could be created from excess electricity generated by sizeable renewable electricity projects. This hydrogen could be used as a fuel within Australia and exported to developing countries.
Low-Cost Hydrogen Gas Production- The Future
Hydrogen-fueled buses are now on the street of Brazil. South Korea and Japan have already demonstrated a strong commitment to adopting hydrogen-powered vehicles and hydrogen as their primary energy carrier.
The challenge is that hydrogen gas is highly combustible, and transporting it presents some challenges. Scientists are working on to overcome this challenge.
Dr. Simonov says that energy provider AGL is investigating how the electrolysis breakthrough can be scaled up. This is seen as a way of reducing carbon emissions.
Dr. Simonov and Professor MacFarlane are collaborating with an emerging Australian company, ANT Energy Solutions. This company is developing a portable hydrogen electrolyzer with funding from the Cooperative Research Centres Program.
