Hydrogen Generation, Storage, and Utilization

A facile mechanochemical method was used for the synthesis of ordered mesoporous carbons (OMCs) with well-dispersed metal nanoparticles. The one-pot ball milling of tannins with a metal salt in the presence of a block copolymer followed by thermal treatment led to Ni- or Pt-embedded OMCs with high specific surface areas (up to 600 m²·g⁻¹) and large pore volumes (up to ~0.5 cm³·g⁻¹). The as-prepared OMC-based samples exhibited hexagonally ordered cylindrical mesopores with narrow pore size distributions (average pore size ~7 nm), which implies sufficient long-range copolymer-assisted self-assembly of the tannin-derived polymer upon milling even in the presence of a metal salt. The homogenous decoration of carbons with small-sized metal (Ni or Pt) particles was essential to provide H₂ storage capacities up to 0.33 wt.% at 25 °C and under 100 bar. The presented synthesis strategy seems to have great potential in the practical uses of functionalized polymers and carbons for applications in adsorption and catalysis. Full article

In this work, a thiol–ene coupling reaction was employed to prepare the semi-interpenetrating polymer network AEMs. The obtained QP-1/2 membrane exhibits high hydroxide conductivity (162.5 mS cm⁻¹ at 80 °C) with a relatively lower swelling ratio, demonstrating its mechanical strength of 42 MPa. This membrane is noteworthy for its improved alkaline stability, as the semi-interpenetrating network effectively limits the attack of hydroxide. Even after being treated in 2 M NaOH at 80 °C for 600 h, 82.5% of the hydroxide conductivity is maintained. The H₂/O₂ fuel cell with QP-1/2 membrane displays a peak power density of 521 mW cm⁻². Alkaline water electrolyzers based on QP-1/2 membrane demonstrated a current density of 1460 mA cm⁻² at a cell voltage of 2.00 V using NiCoFe catalysts in the anode. All the results demonstrate that a semi-interpenetrating structure is a promising way to enhance the mechanical property, ionic conductivity, and alkaline stability of AEMs for the application of alkaline fuel cells and water electrolyzers. Full article

In this work, the production of hydrogen from the sodium borohydride (NaBH₄) reaction was studied using an experimental bench test in a passive device operating with or without minimal external energy input. The system consists of a reactor in which a mixture based on sodium borohydride powders and an organic acid is confined. A flow of water feeds the area in which the solid mixture is confined, which undergoes a hydrolysis reaction and this generates gaseous hydrogen. The hydrogen thus produced, already saturated with water vapor, is particularly suitable for feeding polymer electrolyte fuel cells for the production of electricity because it does not require further humidification. The borohydride–organic acid coupling studied for this device, and its chemical process, provides high reaction and conversion kinetics, presenting remarkable chemical stability over time. Full article

In this work, geochemical modelling using PhreeqC was carried out to evaluate the effects of geochemical reactions on the performance of underground hydrogen storage (UHS). Equilibrium, exchange, and mineral reactions were considered in the model. Moreover, reaction kinetics were considered to evaluate the geochemical effect on underground hydrogen storage over an extended period of 30 years. The developed model was first validated against experimental data adopted from the published literature by comparing the modelling and literature values of H₂ and CO₂ solubility in water at varying conditions. Furthermore, the effects of pressure, temperature, salinity, and CO₂% on the H₂ and CO₂ inventory and rock properties in a typical sandstone reservoir were evaluated over 30 years. Results show that H₂ loss over 30 years is negligible (maximum 2%) through the studied range of conditions. The relative loss of CO₂ is much more pronounced compared to H₂ gas, with losses of up to 72%. Therefore, the role of CO₂ as a cushion gas will be affected by the CO₂ gas losses as time passes. Hence, remedial CO₂ gas injections should be considered to maintain the reservoir pressure throughout the injection and withdrawal processes. Moreover, the relative volume of CO₂ increases with the increase in temperature and decrease in pressure. Furthermore, the reservoir rock properties, porosity, and permeability, are affected by the underground hydrogen storage process and, more specifically, by the presence of CO₂ gas. CO₂ dissolves carbonate minerals inside the reservoir rock, causing an increase in the rock’s porosity and permeability. Consequently, the rock’s gas storage capacity and flow properties are enhanced. Full article

The design of a 10 cm² (3.4 cm by 3.4 cm) and a 100 cm² (10 cm by 10 cm) anion exchange membrane (AEM) water electrolyser cell for hydrogen production are described. The AEM cells are based on a zero-gap configuration where the AEM is sandwiched between the anode and cathode so as to minimise voltage drop between the electrodes. Nonprecious nickel-based metal alloy and metal oxide catalysts were employed. Various experiments were carried out to understand the effects of operating parameters such as current densities, electrolyte concentrations, and testing regimes on the performance of both 10 cm² and 100 cm² AEM electrolyser cells. Increasing electrolyte concentration was seen to result in reductions in overpotentials which were proportional to current applied, whilst the use of catalysts improved performance consistently over the range of current densities tested. Extended galvanostatic and intermittent tests were demonstrated on both 10 cm² and 100 cm² cells, with higher voltage efficiencies achieved with the use of electrocatalysts. Stability tests in the 100 cm² AEM electrolyser cell assembled with catalyst-coated electrodes demonstrated that the cell voltages remained stable at 2.03 V and 2.17 V during 72 h operation in 4 M KOH and 1 M KOH electrolyte, respectively, at a current density of 0.3 A cm⁻² at 323 K. The inclusion of cycling load tests in testing protocols is emphasized for rational evaluation of cell performance as this was observed to speed up the rate of degradation mechanisms such as membrane degradation. Full article

Fe-based chemical looping gasification is a clean biomass technology, which has the advantage of reducing CO₂ emissions and the potential of self-sustaining operation without supplemental heating. A novel process combining Fe-based chemical looping and biomass pyrolysis was proposed and simulated using Aspen Plus. The biomass was first subjected to pyrolysis to coproduce biochar, bio-oil and pyrolysis gas; the pyrolysis gas was subjected to an Fe looping process to obtain high-purity hydrogen and carbon dioxide. The influences of the pyrolysis reactor operating temperature and fuel reactor operation temperature, and the steam reactor and air reactor on the process performance are researched. The results showed that, under the operating condition of the established process, 23.07 kg/h of bio-oil, 24.18 kg/h of biochar, 3.35 kg/h of hydrogen and a net electricity of 3 kW can be generated from 100 kg/h of rice straw, and the outlet CO₂ concentration of the fuel reactor was as high as 80%. Moreover, the whole exergy efficiency and total exergy loss of the proposed process was 58.98% and 221 kW, respectively. Additionally, compared to biomass direct chemical looping hydrogen generation technology, the new process in this paper, using biomass pyrolysis gas as a reactant in the chemical looping hydrogen generation process, can enhance the efficiency of hydrogen generation. Full article

The liner of a carbon fiber fully reinforced composite tank with thermoplastic liner (type IV) works in a hydrogen environment with varying temperature and pressure profiles. The ageing performance of the thermoplastic liner may affect hydrogen permeability and the consequent storage capacity, degrade the mechanical properties, and even increase the leakage risks of type IV tanks. In this paper, both testing procedures and evaluation parameters of an ageing test in a hydrogen environment required in several standards are compared and analyzed. Hydrogen static exposure in a high-temperature condition with a constant temperature and pressure is suggested to be a reasonable way to accelerate the ageing reaction of thermoplastic materials. A total of 192 h is considered a superior ageing test duration to balance the test economy and safety. The ageing test temperature in the high-temperature condition is suggested as no lower than 85 °C, while the upper limit of test pressure is suggested to be 1.25 NWP. In addition, the hydrogen permeation coefficient and mechanical properties are recognized as important parameters in ageing performance evaluation. Considering the actual service conditions, the influence of temperature/pressure cycling, depressurization rate, and humidity on the ageing performance of thermoplastics in hydrogen are advised to be investigated experimentally. Full article

Ammonia (NH₃) is regarded as a promising medium of hydrogen storage, due to its large hydrogen storage density, decent performance on safety and moderate storage conditions. On the user side, NH₃ is generally required to decompose into hydrogen for utilization in fuel cells, and therefore it is vital for the NH₃-based hydrogen storage technology development to study NH₃ decomposition processes and improve the decomposition efficiency. Numerical simulation has become a powerful tool for analyzing the NH₃ decomposition processes since it can provide a revealing insight into the heat and mass transfer phenomena and substantial guidance on further improving the decomposition efficiency. This paper reviews the numerical simulations of NH₃ decomposition in various application scenarios, including NH₃ decomposition in microreactors, coupled combustion chemical reactors, solid oxide fuel cells, and membrane reactors. The models of NH₃ decomposition reactions in various scenarios and the heat and mass transport in the reactor are elaborated. The effects of reactor structure and operating conditions on the performance of NH₃ decomposition reactor are analyzed. It can be found that NH₃ decomposition in microchannel reactors is not limited by heat and mass transfer, and NH₃ conversion can be improved by using membrane reactors under the same conditions. Finally, research prospects and opportunities are proposed in terms of model development and reactor performance improvement for NH₃ decomposition. Full article

Studies of storage and production of hydrogen, which is an alternative to fossil fuels, have been intensified. Hydrogen production from metal borohydrides via catalyst is very attractive because of its advantages, such as controlled production, high hydrogen content, nontoxicity, etc. In this study, the catalytic performances of nanoporous nickel–chromium alloy and nickel–vanadium alloy catalysts prepared with magnetron sputtering in hydrolysis of potassium borohydride, which is a hydrogen storage material, were investigated. Parameters that affected the hydrolysis reaction rate, such as the temperature, the amount of catalyst, and the volume of 0.5 M HCl solution were investigated using response surface methodology. In addition, the prepared catalysts were characterized with XRD and FE-SEM analysis, and the remaining solutions after the reactions were characterized with FE-SEM/EDS analysis. Using response surface methodology, optimum conditions for the maximum hydrogen production rate were determined to be 1.65 g of catalyst, 6% KBH₄, 3% NaOH, and 7 mL of 0.5 M HCl at 333 K. Under these conditions, the hydrogen production rates were calculated as 68.9 L·min⁻¹·g_cat⁻¹ and 76.5 L·min⁻¹·g_cat⁻¹ for NiCr and NiV, respectively. Full article

Hydrogen is a key enabler of a sustainable society. Refurbishment of the existing natural gas infrastructure for up to 100% H₂ is considered one of the most energy- and resource-efficient energy transportation methods. The question remains whether the transportation of 100% H₂ with reasonable adaptions of the infrastructure and comparable energy amounts to natural gas is possible. The well-known critical components for refurbishment, such as increased compressor power, reduced linepack as well as pipeline transport efficiencies, and their influencing factors were considered based on thermodynamic calculations with a step-by-step overview. A H₂ content of 20–30% results in comparable operation parameters to pure natural gas. In addition to transport in pipelines, decentralized H₂ production will also play an important role in addressing future demands. Full article

The temperature rises hydrogen tanks during the fast-filling process could threaten the safety of the hydrogen fuel cell vehicle. In this paper, a 2D axisymmetric model of a type III hydrogen for the bus was built to investigate the temperature evolution during the fast-filling process. A test rig was carried out to validate the numerical model with air. It was found significant temperature rise occurred during the filling process, despite the temperature of the filling air being cooled down due to the throttling effect. After verification, the 2D model of the hydrogen tank was employed to study the temperature distribution and evolution of hydrogen during the fast-filling process. Thermal stratification was observed along the axial direction of the tank. Then, the effects of filling parameters were examined, and a formula was fitted to predict the final temperature based on the simulated results. At last, an effort was paid on trying the improve the temperature distribution by increasing the injector length of the hydrogen tank. The results showed the maximal temperature and mass averaged temperature decreased by 2 K and 3.4 K with the length of the injector increased from 50 mm to 250 mm. Full article

Replacing fossil fuels with non-carbon fuels is an important step towards reaching the ultimate goal of carbon neutrality. Instead of moving directly from the current natural gas energy systems to pure hydrogen, an incremental blending of hydrogen with natural gas could provide a seamless transition and minimize disruptions in power and heating source distribution to the public. Academic institutions, industry, and governments globally, are supporting research, development and deployment of hydrogen blending projects such as HyDeploy, GRHYD, THyGA, HyBlend, and others which are all seeking to develop efficient pathways to meet the carbon reduction goal in coming decades. There is an understanding that successful commercialization of hydrogen blending requires both scientific advances and favorable techno-economic analysis. Ongoing studies are focused on understanding how the properties of methane-hydrogen mixtures such as density, viscosity, phase interactions, and energy densities impact large-scale transportation via pipeline networks and end-use applications such as in modified engines, oven burners, boilers, stoves, and fuel cells. The advantages of hydrogen as a non-carbon energy carrier need to be balanced with safety concerns of blended gas during transport, such as overpressure and leakage in pipelines. While studies on the short-term hydrogen embrittlement effect have shown essentially no degradation in the metal tensile strength of pipelines, the long-term hydrogen embrittlement effect on pipelines is still the focus of research in other studies. Furthermore, pressure reduction is one of the drawbacks that hydrogen blending brings to the cost dynamics of blended gas transport. Hence, techno-economic models are also being developed to understand the energy transportation efficiency and to estimate the true cost of delivery of hydrogen blended natural gas as we move to decarbonize our energy systems. This review captures key large-scale efforts around the world that are designed to increase the confidence for a global transition to methane-hydrogen gas blends as a precursor to the adoption of a hydrogen economy by 2050. Full article

This research describes the results of the anaerobic digestion of gelatine as a potential hydrogen source with heat-shocked inoculum. The concentrations of applied gelatine were of VSS (volatile suspended solids) ranging from 10 g VSS/L to 30 g VSS/L. The initial process pH was 5.5, and, depending on the concentration, reached pH values from 7.5 to 7.8 after 55 days. Although the inoculum was heat-shocked in 30 g VSS/L of collagen, the process that occurred was hydrogenotrophic anaerobic digestion. In gelatine concentrations below 30 g VSS/L, hydrogen production was dominant only during the first 5 days of the experiments. Then, there was a change from dark fermentation to hydrogenotrophic methane production. The optimal hydrogen and methane yields resulted from the concentrations of 10 g VSS/L (7.65 mL ± 0.01 mL H₂/g VSS and 3.49 ± 0.01 L CH₄/g VSS). Additionally, 10 g VSS/L had the lowest accumulated emission of hydrogen sulphide (10.3 ± 0.01 mL of H₂S), while 30 g VSS/L (0.440 ± 0.01mL H₂S/g VSS) produced the lowest yield. After a lag time, the hydrogen production and hydrogen sulphide grew with a specific ratio, depending on the concentration. The hydrogen sulphide emission and sulphur added analysis proved that hydrogen sulphide originating from biogas created by bacteria remains longer than that from a substrate. Full article

In this work, CZTS particles with a mixed phase of wurtzite and kesterite were synthesized by the solvothermal method. The time-dependent XRD patterns, Raman spectra, SEM, and EDS analysis were employed to study the growth mechanism of CZTS. The results revealed that the formation of CZTS started from the nucleation of monoclinic Cu₇S₄ seeds, followed by the successive incorporation of Zn²⁺ and Sn⁴⁺ ions. Additionally, the diffusion of Zn²⁺ into Cu₇S₄ crystal lattice is much faster than that of Sn⁴⁺. With increasing time, CZTS undergoes a phase transformation from metastable wurtzite to steady kesterite. The morphology of CZTS tends to change from spherical-like to flower-like architecture. The mixed-phase CZTS with a bandgap of 1.5 eV exhibited strong visible light absorption, good capability for photoelectric conversion, and suitable band alignment, which makes it capable to produce H₂ production and degrade RhB under simulated solar illumination. Full article