A team of engineers at the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) has designed a revolutionary method to produce hydrogen gas from water, using only solar energy and agricultural waste, such as manure and husks. This innovative technique reduces the energy needed to extract hydrogen from water by 600%opening new opportunities for sustainable and environmentally friendly chemical production.
Hydrogen-based fuels are considered one of the most promising sources of clean energy. However, producing pure hydrogen is an energy-intensive process, typically requiring coal or natural gas and large amounts of electricity. The new method developed by UIC engineers uses a carbon-rich substance called biocharwhich significantly decreases the amount of electricity needed to convert water into hydrogen.
“We are the first group to demonstrate that hydrogen can be produced using biomass with a fraction of a volt“said Singh, an associate professor in the UIC department of chemical engineering. “This is a transformative technology,” he added.
Process
The electrolysis process, which splits water into hydrogen and oxygen, requires an electrical current. On an industrial scale, this process generally relies on fossil fuels to generate electricity. However, recent scientific advances have been able to lower the voltage needed for water splitting by introducing a carbon source into the reaction, although these traditional methods often use carbon or expensive chemicals, releasing carbon dioxide as a byproduct.
Singh’s team has modified this process to use biomass from common waste products. By mixing sulfuric acid with agricultural waste, animal waste or sewage, they create a porridge-like substance called biochar, rich in carbon. They experimented with different types of biochar made from sugarcane husks, hemp waste, paper waste and cow dung. All varieties of biochar reduced the energy needed to convert water to hydrogen, cow manure being the most efficientdecreasing the electrical requirement six times to approximately one fifth of a volt.
The energy requirements were so low that the researchers They were able to power the reaction with a standard silicon solar cell which generated approximately 15 milliamps of current at 0.5 volts, less than the amount of power produced by an AA battery.
“It is very efficient, with almost 35% conversion from biochar and solar energy to hydrogen,” explained Rohit Chauhan, co-author and postdoctoral fellow in Singh’s lab. “These are world record numbers; It is the highest that anyone has demonstrated.”
Carbon dioxide
To make the process net zero, it is necessary to capture the carbon dioxide generated by the reaction. Singh noted that this also could have environmental and economic benefitssuch as the production of pure carbon dioxide to carbonate beverages or its conversion into ethylene and other chemicals used in the manufacture of plastics.
“It not only diversifies the utilization of biowaste, but enables the clean production of different chemicals beyond hydrogen,” said Nishithan Kani, a UIC graduate and co-lead author of the paper. “This cheap way to produce hydrogen could allow farmers to be self-sufficient in their energy needs or create new sources of income” he stated.
Orochem Technologies Inc., a sponsor of the research, has applied for patents for its biochar and hydrogen production processes, and the UIC team plans to test the methods on a large scale.
