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Thu, 24th Oct 2019 13:05:00 |
Make Hydrogen Cheap Again |
Scientists at the Department of Energy's SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory and Stanford University have, for the first time, proven that an inexpensive catalyst can generate hydrogen gas in a commercial environment. Known as an electrolyzer, the team hopes the catalyst has potential for large-scale hydrogen production powered by renewable energy.
While scientists have proven such technology in the past, the price point has always been a sticking point. Precious metals like platinum and iridium were needed to boost efficiency, making a cheaper catalyst crucial. And while more inexpensive catalysts have been shown to work in a lab setting, these researchers found it can work in the rough and tumble of the public sphere as well.
"Hydrogen gas is a massively important industrial chemical for making fuel and fertilizer, among other things," says lead researcher Thomas Jaramillo, director of the SUNCAT Center for Interface Science and Catalysis, in a press statement. "It's also a clean, high-energy-content molecule that can be used in fuel cells or to store energy generated by variable power sources like solar and wind. But most of the hydrogen produced today is made with fossil fuels, adding to the level of CO2 in the atmosphere. We need a cost-effective way to produce it with clean energy."
Read original full article
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