A new method to efficiently produce clean green hydrogen at low costs has been developed by Israeli researchers.
Hydrogen is necessary raw material in industry and agriculture and is mainly produced from coal or natural gas. As per reports, up to 12 tonnes of carbon dioxide are released for every tonne of hydrogen produced.
On the other hand, Green Hydrogen, is produced using renewable energy sources, such as wind, solar or hydroelectric power, through an electrolysis process that separates water into hydrogen and oxygen.
Mostly, Green Hydrogen production requires distilled water and rare metals such as platinum, which makes green hydrogen up to 15 times more expensive than polluting hydrogen.
As per reports, one of the main problems in electrical production is that the enzymes from which hydrogen is produced “escape” from the electrical charge during the production process and must be held in place by chemical treatment.
However, in the study published in the journal Carbon Energy, TAU researchers found an easy way to attach the enzyme to the electrode by using hydrogel and thus produced green hydrogen with an efficiency of more than 90 percent, where over 90 percent of the electrons introduced into the system remained in hydrogen without secondary processes.
“The gel holds the enzyme for a long time even under the electrical voltage and allows hydrogen to be produced with high efficiency, not only in distilled water but in salt water as well.Another advantage is that the gel assembles itself after being put in water, that is, it arranges itself into nanometric fibers that are able to stick the enzyme to the electrode,” said the report.
Further, the researchers are hopeful of employing the new method commercially to lower costs that will help switch towards using green hydrogen in industry, agriculture, and as a clean energy source, thus dramatically reducing mankind’s CO2 emissions.
