D.O.E. Researchers Find a Low Cost Way to Make Hydrogen Fuel

A cost effective way to make sustainable hydrogen fuel from water is one key to getting the U.S. off what has become a clearly devastating addiction to petroleum. Scientists at the Department of Energy’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory have brought low cost hydrogen fuel one step closer to reality with the discovery of an inexpensive, non-toxic catalyst that can split water molecules into hydrogen and oxygen.

The new catalyst is based on a molybdenum-oxo metal complex (molybdenum is a silvery metal with a high melting point). Aside from cost and safety advantages, a major plus for the new catalyst is its ability to operate on dirty water and seawater, rather than using precious supplies of potable water.

Low Cost, Sustainable Hydrogen Fuel

Until now, platinum has been the catalyst of choice in hydrogen production, and platinum goes for about $2000 an ounce these days. The Berkeley scientists estimate that their metal complex is 70 time less expensive. In addition, the Berkeley catalyst does not require the use of acids or co-solvents, which also keeps costs down. The fact that it operates efficiently in less-than-clean water is another plus in terms of reducing costs, and that dovetails with another recent discovery that could lead to the co-production of hydrogen in wastewater treatment plants, which in turn fits neatly into the transformation of wastewater treatment plants into high value resource recovery centers.  Wow, all this sustainability is making my brain hurt.

More Cheap Hydrogen Catalysts on the Way

Molybdenum is just one emerging platform for low cost hydrogen. MIT researchers are looking into an inexpensive catalyst based on cobalt, and researchers at Georgia Tech are developing a new high tech ceramic material that could lower the cost of solid oxide fuel cells. Meanwhile, a French startup is getting ready for the coming wave of hydrogen fuel with a new hydrogen storage system that works more quickly and at a lower pressure than conventional systems. The company foresees use of the system to store energy from intermittent sources including solar and wind.

Image: Water by Pink Sherbert on flickr.com.

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