Road-driven cars: the world's most efficient method of hydrogen production

Chemists are working out a plan to develop a revolutionary way to convert sugar into hydrogen. The synthetic hydrogen will be used as a fuel for hydrogen fuel cell vehicles with the following advantages: low cost, high efficiency and no environmental pollution.

This method combines sugar, water and a mixture of highly active enzymes to produce hydrogen and carbon dioxide under normal reaction conditions. The method has been described as the most optimal hydrogen production method in the world at the 235th national conference of the American Chemical Society.

The new system helps address three key technical barriers to the 'hydrogen economy', researchers say. These barriers include the highest cost of production, storage and distribution.

'This is really a revolution.', Research leader Dr. Y.-H. Percival Zhang, a biochemical engineer at Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Virginia, said. 'This work opened up a whole new direction for hydrogen research. With advances in technology, road cars will become a reality. '

Percival Zhang, a scientist at Virginia Tech, is working on a new way to convert plant sugar into hydrogen for use in hydrogen fuel cell vehicles.(Photo: Virginia Tech University)

Despite being a bright alternative to fossil fuels, with such advantages as clean and endless supply, hydrogen has the disadvantage of being too large and inefficient. Most traditional methods of producing hydrogen are based on fossil fuels, such as natural gas, while microbial fuel-based innovations yield too small amounts of hydrogen. So researchers around the world are always urged to find a new way to produce hydrogen from renewable sources.

Zhang and his colleagues believe they have found the most promising biomass-based hydrogen production system ever. The researchers are also optimistic that they can produce hydrogen from cellulose , chemicals that have the same chemical formula as starch but are harder to break.

In experimental studies, scientists collected 13 different enzymes and put them in a mixture of starch and water. In a specially designed reactor and under average conditions (30 degrees Celsius), the mixture reacted to each other to obtain products with only carbon dioxide and hydrogen without a trace of dirt. Come on.

This method is called synthetic biology in vitro (in vitro) and giving up to 3 times more hydrogen gas than hydrogen can be theoretically used using anaerobic bacteria fermentation methods. However, Dr. Zhang said that the amount of hydrogen gas obtained is still too low for commercial use and the reaction speed is not optimal.

Researchers are currently working to improve the system to achieve higher speeds and performance. One of the problematic approaches is to find enzymes that work at higher temperatures to help speed up hydrogen synthesis. The researchers also hope to be able to synthesize hydrogen from cellulose by replacing some enzymes in the mixture.

Dr. Zhang predicts that, one day, people can go to food stores near their homes, buy solid packs of starch or cellulose and put them in their fuel cell car batteries. . The following journey will absolutely not pollute the environment, cheaper, cleaner and more efficient than the most economical gasoline vehicles. And unlike traditional gasoline-burning cars, the new system will not produce any unpleasant odors. Moreover, the system will be very safe because the hydrogen generated will be used immediately, the researcher said.

In addition, based on this new technology, it is possible to develop infrastructure systems for hydrogen pump stations as well as provide hydrogen at home. However, consumers will have to wait a long time before they can use this technology. Dr. Zhang predicts that it will take another 8 to 10 years for this technology to be complete and widespread.

Another alternative for this technology is to produce stronger and more durable batteries for pocket music players, laptops and mobile phones. The researcher said it was only possible to develop this option in 3-5 years.

The study was funded by the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFOSR) and the Institute of Applied Science and Technology (CTAS), at Virginia Tech University; is a joint project between Virginia Tech, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, Tennessee and University of Georgia in Athens, Georgia.