1. ACS Employee Spotlight: Ryan Abanovic on the Future of ACS Industries and Green Energy
“Within 10 years, ACS’s new American production facility will be up and running, creating jobs and bringing a positive economic impact to a carefully selected US location. ”
2. A Huge Underground Battery Is Coming to a Tiny Utah Town
Two caverns, each as deep as the Empire State Building is tall, are being created from a geological salt formation, using water to dissolve and remove the salt. When completed next year, the caverns will be able to store a huge amount of energy, but in a form that is vastly different from the chemical batteries found in everything from flashlights to cars. Here, the energy will be stored as hydrogen gas.
3. Australia Unveils First Hydrogen-Powered Home
Australia Gas Infrastructure Group has created HyHome, a single family residential home equipped with hydrogen-powered hot water systems, hearing, cooktop, and barbecue, some of the first 100 percent hydrogen compatible appliances to be developed for the domestic market.
4. Rome, Berlin Plan Massive Hydrogen Pipeline to Africa
Italy and Germany have announced plans to convert gas pipelines connecting Europe and Africa into a hydrogen transport system. The new pipeline will be called the “South Central Corridor” and will pass from Tunisia over the Alps to Bavaria. The goal is to import 10 million tones of hydrogen by 2030.
5. New Reactor Design Is a Gamechanger for Green Hydrogen
GH Power has developed a new technology that uses exothermic reactions with aluminum and water to create hydrogen, alumina, and exothermic heat. The process can use recycled scrap aluminum as an input. The biggest advantage of this breakthrough is that it is the first green hydrogen production method available in North America that is cost competitive with fossil fuels.
6. Europe Takes Steps Toward Developing Hydrogen Pipeline Network
German firm RWE and Norwegian Equinor have entered a collaboration agreement intended to help push the European hydrogen economy along. The plan includes the construction of additional blue and green hydrogen power plants as well as a pipeline that will move an estimated 4 million tons of hydrogen from Norway to Germany each year.
7. Multiverse Computing Utilize Quantum Digital Twin to Increase Green Hydrogen Efficiency
Multiverse Computing has used quantum algorithms to optimize the processes of a virtual replica of a hydrogen production plant. The optimized electrolysis process showed a 5% boost in production and profitability.
8. Brazil Reveals $3.6 Billion Hydrogen Production Plan
Brazil has signed an agreement with Grupo Jepri for a $3.6 billion plant with an annual production rate of 1.2 million tons in the Pecém Industrial and Port Complex. Construction is scheduled to begin in 2025.
9. Improved Water Electrolysis Performance and Stability Bring Commercialization of Green Hydrogen One Step Closer
The School of Chemical Engineering at UNIST has developed a novel method for fabricating ionomer-free catalyst coated membranes. These membranes eliminate the need for anion exchange ionomers and offer improved catalyst utilization, increased durability, and improved performance.
10. Durable, Inexpensive Electrocatalyst Generates Clean Hydrogen and Oxygen from Water
Scientists from Dalian University of Technology in Dalian, China have created a new electrocatalyst made of nickel, iron and silicon which effectively decreases the total energy needed for green hydrogen production. The novel porous FeNiSi layer is a bifunctional catalyst which presents operational advantages over traditional precious metal-based single-function catalysts.
11. Researchers Discover How to Prevent Formaldehyde from Inhibiting Hydrogen-Producing Enzymes
Enzymes within microorganisms can be used as biocatalysts for hydrogen production. These biocatalysts are currently less efficient than their non-biological alternatives but a breakthrough from Ruhr University Bochum, Germany, has uncovered a method for increasing the efficiency of these catalysts by blocking them from binding to molecules such as formaldehyde that limit efficiency.
12. Improved “Solar Thermochemical” process captures 40% of the sun’s heat to produce Green Hydrogen
MIT engineers have designed a green hydrogen production system that uses only solar energy, making the hydrogen creation process completely emissions-free from start to finish. Solar Thermochemical Hydrogen has been available prior to this, but the new MIT design harnesses up to 40% of the sun’s heat while the older models only managed to capture about 7% of sunlight on its surface. This represents a significant step in lowering the cost per kilogram of hydrogen produced with STCH.
13. Ontario Boosting Its Electricity Grid with Hydrogen
The Ontaria government has invested $5.9 million in nine new projects that will integrate hydrogen into the electricity grid. The projects range from blending hydrogen and natural gas in power plants, wind-powered hydrogen-methane turbines, traditional electrolysis, solar-generated hydrogen production systems, biogas-generated hydrogen production systems, solid oxide hydrogen cells, and more.