A fuel cell that uses iron instead of expensive platinum – pv magazine International

April 26, 2022 Sergio Matalucci

imperial college london researchers have presented a hydrogen fuel cell that uses iron instead of platinum. The research team created a catalyst using only iron, carbon and nitrogen – cheap and readily available materials – and showed that it could be used to run a high-powered fuel cell. Their findings are published in the journal “High loading of single atomic iron sites in Fe–NC oxygen reduction catalysts for proton exchange membrane fuel cells”, published in natural catalysis. The scientists said that about 60% of the cost of a single fuel cell is platinum for the catalyst. “In lab tests, the team showed that a single-atom iron catalyst performs close to platinum-based catalysts in a real fuel cell system.” The team used a synthesis method called transmetallation to avoid the formation of iron clusters during synthesis. The academics are also cooperating with UK fuel cell catalyst maker Johnson Matthey to test the catalyst in suitable systems and hope to develop the new technology into commercial production. “Our cheaper catalyst design should make this a reality and enable the deployment of many more renewable energy systems that use hydrogen as a fuel, reducing greenhouse gas emissions and putting the world on the right track. net zero emissions,” they said.

Hydrofuel Canada, based in Ontarioa company supplying green ammonia and hydrogen, entered into an exclusive license agreement with Georgia Institute of Technology for their patent-pending Micro Ammonia Production System (MAPS) “which enables the sustainable, high-yield synthesis of ammonia from air and water with unprecedented efficiency using a gas-phase electrochemical process”. The technology uses hollow hybrid plasmonic nanocages to create an electrocatalyst for the synthesis of ammonia from nitrogen (N2) and water (H2O). The technology operates at ambient temperature and pressure in the gas and liquid phase system. Hydrofuel will combine MAPS with its Kontak Hydrogen from Ammonia Separation modules. “The use of MAPS technology with renewable energies to produce green ammonia at a lower cost is a major development. The use of this ammonia with technology from Kontak, which Hydrofuel previously acquired, is a game-changer,” Hydrofuel Canada wrote Monday. Kontak’s technology can release hydrogen from a dozen potential carrier molecules. Among the carriers, the highest storage capacity is anhydrous ammonia, with (17.3% hydrogen by weight) stored in liquid form such as propane. “Kontak’s patented reactor is the most efficient method to release hydrogen to date.” The hydrogen is filtered and sent directly to a fuel cell or an internal combustion engine. According to the company, these technologies produce “green NH3 using electricity at $0.02/kWh for as little as $220 per ton, while fossil fuel-derived NH3 currently sells for between $1,500 and $2. $000 per ton”. The Canadian company adds that green hydrogen can be separated from this ammonia to sell for around $1.50 per kg.

Norway Aker Horizonsthrough its holding company Aker Clean Hydrogen, and the Norwegian electricity company Statkraft signed collaboration agreements to jointly explore green hydrogen and ammonia production opportunities in India and Brazil, targeting local steel and fertilizer industries. “With considerable renewable energy production and commercial activities in India and Brazil, Statkraft is well positioned to seize green hydrogen opportunities in these two huge and important energy markets. Developing such opportunities helps us grow our business and reduce greenhouse gas emissions in India and Brazil,” said Jürgen Tzschoppe, Statkraft’s Executive Vice President for International Energy.

Researchers at Clemson Nanomaterials Institute (CNI) and their collaborators from the Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Learning (SSSIHL) in India said they discovered a new way to combine curcumin, a substance in turmeric, and gold nanoparticles instead of platinum to create an electrode that “requires 100 times less energy to efficiently convert ethanol into electricity.According to CNI, this discovery brings the replacement of hydrogen as a feedstock for fuel cells one step closer.The researchers focused on the anode of the fuel cell, where ethanol or another power source is oxidized.”Curcumin is used to decorate the gold nanoparticles to stabilize them, forming a porous network around the nanoparticles.”Researchers deposited the nanoparticles of curcumin gold on the surface of the electrode at an electric current 100 times lower than in previous studies.

President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen and Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi said the European Union and India should strengthen their cooperation in the solar and green hydrogen sectors. Speaking at the Raisina Dialogue, a multilateral conference taking place in New Delhi, Amitabh Kant, CEO of government policy think tank NITI Aayog, said: “India has the size and scale to become a leader in green technology. Developed countries have failed to deliver on their promise of low-cost financing. Raisina Dialogue participants also discussed hydrogen. Norway is looking for hydrogen opportunities in the subcontinent. Vegard Frihammer, CEO of Greenstat Norway, told The Statesman on Sunday that the company wants to explore options in the country’s industrial and maritime sector.

Renewable energy company owned by the government of the United Arab Emirates masdar and investment and development company based in Egypt Public Services Hassan Allam signed two memorandums of understanding with Egyptian state-backed organizations to develop green hydrogen production plants in the Suez Canal Economic Zone and on the Mediterranean coast. The two companies aspire to play a leading role in the development of green hydrogen production plants in the region, aiming for an electrolyzer capacity of 4 gigawatts (GW) by 2030 and production of up to 480,000 tonnes of green hydrogen per year. Last weekAMEA Power, an Emirati renewable project developer, and the Egyptian authorities have signed a memorandum of understanding to produce 390,000 tonnes of green ammonia per year in two phases at Ain Sokhna, Egypt.

Last week, the French producer of green hydrogen Lhyfe mentioned France’s financial markets authority, AMF, cleared the way for the company’s IPO on the Euronext stock market in Paris after approving its registration document, Reuters reported. Lhyfe, which raised 10 million euros from Japanese conglomerate Mitsui & Co earlier this month, is developing an offshore hydrogen production facility connected to a floating wind turbine. The project, which would be the first of its kind in the world, should enter the testing phase by September.

Clear Hydrogen UK announced an extension of its agreement with the Canadian company Proton Technologies. “In 2021, the founders of CHUK invested CAD 3.7 million in Proton to obtain a license to produce 20 tonnes per day for use in the UK and Ireland. The expansion announced today is 250 times larger, giving a total implied license value of up to CAD 925 million for 5,000 tonnes per day,” the company wrote on Monday.