New water-splitting process could kick-start “green” hydrogen economy

Australian scientists claim they’ve worked out a much cheaper, more efficient way to split hydrogen out of water, using easily sourced iron and nickel catalysts instead of expensive, rare ruthenium, platinum and iridium catalysts favored by current large-scale hydrogen producers, which are literally thousands of times more expensive.

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How much energy does say a tonne of hydrogen produce when burnt compared with a tonne of LNG?

Tau.Neutrino said:

New water-splitting process could kick-start “green” hydrogen economy

Australian scientists claim they’ve worked out a much cheaper, more efficient way to split hydrogen out of water, using easily sourced iron and nickel catalysts instead of expensive, rare ruthenium, platinum and iridium catalysts favored by current large-scale hydrogen producers, which are literally thousands of times more expensive.

more…

Sounds good. Lets do that.

Peak Warming Man said:

How much energy does say a tonne of hydrogen produce when burnt compared with a tonne of LNG?

Little over twice as much energy per tonne compared to methane, but much less energy density.

120 MJ/kg compared to about 55.

It also remains to be seen whether countries like Australia can get enough solar or wind power generators built to be exporters of truly “green” hydrogen at a scale that could make a meaningful dent in Tokyo or Seoul’s smog levels. Or indeed if such export-hungry countries will regret shipping large amounts of their water overseas in the form of fuel. Until the rubber meets the road on an international hydrogen supply chain, a healthy degree of skepticism appears to be warranted.

Just use sea water you numpty.

sibeen said:

It also remains to be seen whether countries like Australia can get enough solar or wind power generators built to be exporters of truly “green” hydrogen at a scale that could make a meaningful dent in Tokyo or Seoul’s smog levels. Or indeed if such export-hungry countries will regret shipping large amounts of their water overseas in the form of fuel. Until the rubber meets the road on an international hydrogen supply chain, a healthy degree of skepticism appears to be warranted.

Just use sea water you numpty.

that means building even more wind and solar thingies to provide energy to desalinate the water.

sibeen said:

It also remains to be seen whether countries like Australia can get enough solar or wind power generators built to be exporters of truly “green” hydrogen at a scale that could make a meaningful dent in Tokyo or Seoul’s smog levels. Or indeed if such export-hungry countries will regret shipping large amounts of their water overseas in the form of fuel. Until the rubber meets the road on an international hydrogen supply chain, a healthy degree of skepticism appears to be warranted.

Just use sea water you numpty.

The energy needed to break it down into its component atoms far, far exceeds the energy to distill the water in the first place.

We had all our energy needs sorted with cold fusion but Big Something killed it.

Peak Warming Man said:

We had all our energy needs sorted with cold fusion but Big Something killed it.

I blame the Germans.

I would not expect this to significantly change to economics of hydrogen production

If we have a supply of carbon from biomass or waste, would it be possible to transform hydrogen gas into methane, and just transport that as LNG?

As an alternative to developing a new set of hydrogen infrastructure.

australia needs excel in renewables, industries so and related, be a good thing

need move to reduce fossil fuel use and supply asap

this fossil fuel titanic has got a lot of momentum

party_pants said:

If we have a supply of carbon from biomass or waste, would it be possible to transform hydrogen gas into methane, and just transport that as LNG?

As an alternative to developing a new set of hydrogen infrastructure.

Without endorsing your idea, I will say if you can make methane out of hydrogen and atmospheric carbon dioxide using the Sabatier process.

dv said:

party_pants said:

If we have a supply of carbon from biomass or waste, would it be possible to transform hydrogen gas into methane, and just transport that as LNG?

As an alternative to developing a new set of hydrogen infrastructure.

Without endorsing your idea, I will say if you can make methane out of hydrogen and atmospheric carbon dioxide using the Sabatier process.

Zubrin’s theme for his Mars exploration.

party_pants said:

Peak Warming Man said:

How much energy does say a tonne of hydrogen produce when burnt compared with a tonne of LNG?

Little over twice as much energy per tonne compared to methane, but much less energy density.

120 MJ/kg compared to about 55.

That’s a good point. Yes.

> using easily sourced iron and nickel catalysts instead of expensive, rare ruthenium, platinum and iridium catalysts

Good.

Tau.Neutrino said:

New water-splitting process could kick-start “green” hydrogen economy

Australian scientists claim they’ve worked out a much cheaper, more efficient way to split hydrogen out of water, using easily sourced iron and nickel catalysts instead of expensive, rare ruthenium, platinum and iridium catalysts favored by current large-scale hydrogen producers, which are literally thousands of times more expensive.

more…

> Australia is producing hydrogen in one of the dirtiest possible ways: using brown coal, a process which requires 160 tonnes of coal to produce three tonnes of compressed liquid hydrogen, with a monstrous 100 tons of carbon dioxide as a by-product.

LOL. “Clean” fuel. My preferred way is natural gas → methane + heat & pressure → hydrogen + diesel. Then use diesel-electric.

> nanoparticle catalyst with a nickel-iron oxide interface

It’d rust?