Hydrogen has to be one of the most abundant energy sources in the world, and one of the most promising green sources of the future. The trouble is that up to this moment, the methods of hydrogen extraction from the environment have limited the potential it has as an energy source, but no longer.
A group of researchers from the University of Cambridge has come up with a procedure of producing hydrogen in a clean, carbon-free way. Erwin Reisner, a member of the research team, called this process ‘the next alternative to gasification.’
What is involved in this process?
The group of scientists stated that to produce the hydrogen fuel, they utilized unrefined biomass (lignocelluloses which are found in plants), alkaline water, nanoparticles, and sunlight. The team used biomass in the form of wood, paper, and leaves.
To begin with, the researchers suspended the biomass in the alkaline water with the nanoparticles, also called quantum dots. The quantum dots acted as catalysts to the reaction, Reisner explained. This statement means that the nanoparticles present allowed for the reaction to take place at lower temperatures and to use less energy. When exposed to light mimicking solar radiation, the chemical reaction that occurred in the mixture resulted in the production of hydrogen fuel, formic acid, and carbonates. However, the process did not produce the harmful carbon gasses that the formerly used gasification process produced.
The Implications of the Study Results
The first thing that this process has over previously used methods is that it is green. Global warming is an issue that is currently destroying flora and fauna, so the fact that the procedure produces no greenhouse gasses makes it a viable source of energy in the future.
Additionally, this method uses a nanoparticle catalyst that reduces the need for a lot of heat and energy in hydrogen fuel production. Millions of dollars and heat energy can be saved and put to better use with the utilization of this hydrogen extraction process for large-scale power generation. “We see it as a new and viable alternative to high-temperature gasification and other renewable means of hydrogen production,” Reisner remarked in the publication the team had authored in the Nature Energy1.
Hydrogen fuel is renewable and a plentiful source of fuel as well. Should its extraction from biomass be adopted in industries, the need for non-renewable sources of energy such as coal in the manufacture and production processes could be ameliorated. The procedure could lead to the preservation of the world’s precious fuel resources in this way.
Manufacturers would also be glad to note that this hydrogen fuel production process would bring forth fuel that is convenient for use. “Biomass has always been a source of fuel, but this extraction process makes it suitable for use in modern technologies such as in car engines1,” said co-author David Wakerly, who works in Cambridge’s Department of Chemistry. With the world moving towards a future of electric cars, it would be comforting to know that there is a fuel source to support their existence.
