Engineers of the University of Illinois at Chicago made a very important discovery in the race to produce hydrogen efficient and sustainable when they used cow’s dung in combination with sources of solar and wind energy. This new method could reduce the energy requirements of the production process by up to 600%, according to a recent study published in Cell Reports Physical Science.
Historically, hydrogen production has been expensive and inefficient, since the electrolysis of water, which separates hydrogen and oxygen molecules, requires industrial levels of electricity usually obtained through the burning of fossil fuels such as coal and natural gas. However, UIC engineers managed to develop a system that replaces these fuels with biocharan energy-rich carbon source produced from agricultural, animal or wastewater waste treated with sulfuric acid.
Meenesh Signhleader of the investigation, described the findings as “transformers” and confirmed that his team is the first to demonstrate not only the viability of the system, but also its energy efficiency: “This method diversifies the use of biological waste and allows the clean production of different chemicals beyond hydrogen“, he pointed Nishithan Kanico-author of the study.
During the tests, different types of biochar from sugar cane husks, paper waste, hemp and cow dung were used. Of all the options, it was the derivative of the cow dung the one who showed the best resultsin order to, in this way, reduce the electrical needs just one fifth of a volt.
In a subsequent experiment, the researchers showed that a single solar cell, with energy output lower than that of an AA battery, could power the cow dung-assisted electrolysis reaction. With this method, approximately 35% of the solar energy and the biochar they turn into hydrogen fuel.
The use of biochar It is not totally clean, since its combustion releases carbon dioxide (CO2). However, the researchers suggest that future designs could incorporate systems to capture the resulting CO2 and use it in the carbonation of beverages or in the production of ethylene for manufacturing. Rohit Chauhanco-author of the study, described these results as “world record numbers”.
This innovative method gives farmers the opportunity to become energy self-sufficient or opening new sources of income through the production and sale of hydrogen. This not only reduces dependence on fossil fuelsbut also takes advantage of the biological waste efficiently while helping to moderate the environmental commitment.
Orochem Technologies Inc.sponsor of the research, applied to obtain the relevant patents for its production processes of biochar and hydrogen, and the UIC team plans to test the methods on a large scale. In addition to Singh, Kani and Chauhanthe article was also written by UIC graduate student Rajan Bhawnanialong with other collaborators of the Stanford University, Texas Tech University, Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee, Korea University and Orochem Technologies Inc.
The researchers’ next step is further optimize the process and explore the economic viability of hydrogen production using this method at a industrial scale. It is expected that commercial applications of this technology can begin to be developed within the next five yearswith the objective of implement sustainable energy solutions in various industries.
