Scientists at the IFM, in Australia, have developed a new process that can store and transport hydrogen powder, which could change the scenario of the automotive market and renewable energy.
Storage and transport are still a major challenge in the process of installing the hydrogen as a source of clean energy in the industry and transport of the future. Two problems for which scientists at the Institute for Advanced Materials at deakin university (IFM) in Australia have found a solution. As stated earlier, the problems are already known. In addition to the process of obtaining hydrogen being something very expensive and requiring large amounts of energy in its separation from other elements in nature, this chemical element is always linked to others, its storage is also expensive and complex.
Scientists manage to store hydrogen powder
Stored as a gas, the hydrogen it needs expensive high pressure tanks that exceed 600 bar pressure. Already stored as a liquid, hydrogen needs temperatures below -252 °C to remain in that state, meaning a high energy cost.
Neither a liquid nor a gas: Australian scientists from the Institute for Advanced Materials at Deakin University have managed to store hydrogen powder. This new process, presented for the first time in the scientific journal MaterialsToday, shows a new way to safely separate, transport and store large amounts of gas, which uses a small fraction of energy and generates zero waste.
The discovery is so important, and represents such a breakthrough in knowledge about gas separation and storage, that principal investigator Dr. Srikanth Mateti claims to have repeated the experience 20 to 30 times to believe what he had done. According to Mateti, everyone was completely surprised, but each time tests were performed, the same results were obtained.
Hydrogen Powder doesn't need harsh chemicals
The process of generating hydrogen powder discovered by the scientists is based on mechanochemistry and consists of capturing hydrogen by means of mechanical forces, using a steel ball mill together with powdered boron nitride.
Hydrogen is placed inside this device, causing the gas to end up trapped in the boron nitride powder. As the camera rotates at an increasing speed, the collision of the balls with the hydrogen powder and the camera wall triggers a reaction, generating gas absorption in the powder.
According to the IFM researchers, from that moment on it is very easy to store and transport hydrogen at room temperature and pressure. According to scientists, there is no waste. The process does not require aggressive chemicals and does not generate by-products. Boron nitride itself is classified as a level 0 chemical, i.e. highly safe and stable.
Powdered hydrogen can be produced on a large scale
Once absorbed into this material, hydrogen can be transported safely and easily. To be released, the process is also not complex, it is enough to be heated in a vacuum.
At this stage of the investigation, the IFM scientists were able to test the process on a small scale, separating about two to three liters of material.
The researchers are now hoping for industry support so that the process can be expanded into a pilot project. According to Mateti, a new alternative was presented that does not require high pressure or low temperatures and that provides a much cheaper and safer way to develop products such as vehicles powered by hydrogen. This discovery is the fruit of 30 years of development and research.
