Researchers from Peking University in China and Cardiff University in the U.K. have come up with a new way to produce hydrogen without releasing planet-warming gases into the air.
Most hydrogen production relies on dirty energy, and it's a major polluter. According to the International Energy Agency, global hydrogen production in 2021 resulted in approximately 915 million metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions, with nearly two-thirds of that hydrogen produced from natural gas.
The research team figured out a way to change that. They used bioethanol, a type of alcohol made from farm waste, and mixed it with water at 270°C (about 520°F).
A special metal-based catalyst helped turn it into hydrogen without releasing carbon pollution. That's a big change from the usual method, which needs much higher temperatures between 400°C and 600°C (750°F to 1,100°F) and creates a lot of pollution in the process.
This innovative method also produced acetic acid, which is a common ingredient in everything from food preservatives to cleaning products.
By switching to hydrogen production, companies could lower their carbon footprint while still making the products people use every day. Cleaner hydrogen could help businesses and cities cut costs by relying less on expensive dirty fuels, which constantly change in price and can be affected by global conflicts.
Graham Hutchings, a chemistry professor at Cardiff University and one of the researchers, said, "Finding sustainable ways of creating the products we need for everyday life and to meet net-zero ambitions for the future is a key challenge facing the chemical industry."
Hydrogen is already being used in transportation, industry, and power generation. If it can be made without pumping planet-warming gasses into the atmosphere, it could play a much bigger role in reducing pollution and improving air quality. Breakthroughs like turquoise hydrogen technology and advanced catalysts can also make production faster and more affordable.
"This innovative catalytic technology holds considerable promise for advancing the green hydrogen economy and supporting global carbon neutrality goals," said lead author Professor Ding Ma of Peking University.
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Definitely 👍 This finding comes after more than 10 years of research on specially designed metals that help speed up the process of turning bioethanol into hydrogen while keeping it cleaner and using less energy than older methods.
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The hydrogen production method could cut pollution while allowing industries to produce essential materials like fuel, chemicals, and everyday products without relying on dirty energy.
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