A low-cost catalytic cycle could advance the separation, storage and transportation of hydrogen

Researchers at Fudan University and other institutes in China recently devised a new strategy to separate hydrogen from impurities at low temperatures, while also enabling its safe storage and transportation. Their proposed method, outlined in a paper published in Nature Energy, relies on a reversible chemical reaction between two organic compounds that act as hydrogen carriers, enabling the reversible absorption and release of hydrogen.

The main objective of this recent study by Prof. Zhu and his colleagues was to devise a scalable approach to facilitate the widespread use of clean hydrogen by simplifying its separation from other gases, as well as its storage and transport. The strategy they proposed relies on a low-cost catalytic cycle, which involves the reversible interconversion of the compounds γ-butyrolactone (GBL) and 1,4-butanediol (BDO).

Essentially, the researchers used an inexpensive copper-based catalyst to capture hydrogen from impure industrial gas streams and store it in BDO, a cheap and safe oil-like liquid. Notably, this liquid can be transported using the same tanks, pipelines and trucks that are currently used to transport other fuels. When it reaches its destination, the hydrogen stored in the liquid can be easily released with high purity.

The new strategy for separating, storing and transporting hydrogen devised by the researchers is both easy to deploy and scalable, as it relies on low-cost products and is compatible with existing infrastructure. In the future, it could aid the production of high-purity hydrogen and contribute to its widespread use within the global energy sector.

The researchers are currently working with various industrial partners to test and scale up their technology, with a keen focus on validating the long-term stability of the catalyst they employed and optimizing the efficiency of their approach.