With the great potential for hydrogen to be used as a major energy source in the future, teams are searching for ways to quickly and cost-effectively derive hydrogen. Cardiff University say they have done just that, by unlocking hydrogen from garden grass.
Hydrogen has enormous potential in the renewable energy industry, due to its high energy content, and the fact that it does not release toxic or greenhouse gases when burnt.
Hydrogen is contained in enormous quantities all over in the world in water, hydrocarbons and other organic matter. However, the challenge has been finding ways to unlock that hydrogen in a cheap, efficient and sustainable way. The common method of separating hydrogen from water, for example, is electrolysis, which utilises a large amount of electricity, making it uneconomical.
The breakthrough from Cardiff University's Cardiff Catalysis Institute shows that significant amounts of hydrogen can be extracted from fescue grass, using sunlight and a cheap catalyst.
This discovery could potentially lead to a sustainable and scalable way of producing hydrogen.
The organic compound cellulose, which is a key component of plants, and is the most abundant biopolymer on Earth, is a promising source of hydrogen.
The researchers looked into the possibility of converting cellulose into hydrogen using sunlight and a simple catalyst, in a process called photoreforming. The sunlight activates the catalyst, which then converts cellulose and water into hydrogen.
The scientists tested the effectiveness of three metal-based catalysts – palladium, gold and nickel. They were particularly interested in nickel, as it is more abundant than the precious metals, and more economical.
In the first round of experiments, the researchers combined the three catalysts with cellulose in a round bottom flask used a desk lamp to illuminate the mixture. They collected gas samples from the mixture at 30 minute intervals, analysing them to see how much hydrogen was being produced.
They then repeated the experiment, replacing the cellulose with fescue grass from a domestic carden.
According to Professor Michael Bowker, significant amounts of hydrogen can be produced using this method with the help of sunlight and a cheap catalyst.
“Up until recently, the production of hydrogen from cellulose by means of photocatalysis has not been extensively studied," he said.
"We’ve demonstrated the effectiveness of the process using real grass taken from a garden. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first time that this kind of raw biomass has been used to produce hydrogen in this way. This is significant as it avoids the need to separate and purify cellulose from a sample, which can be both arduous and costly.”
Energy will be a major topic of discussion at the Australian Engineering Conference 2016 in Brisbane on November 23-25.