ENERGY
MAJOR STEP FORWARD
IN THE PRODUCTION OF 'GREEN' HYDROGEN
The first thermodynamically reversible chemical reactor capable
of producing hydrogen as a pure product stream represents a
"transformational" step forward in the chemical industr y, the
Tauthors of a new study claim.
he novel reactor, described in the
academic journal Nature Chemistry,
avoids mixing reactant gases by
transferring oxygen between reactant
streams via a solid state oxygen
reservoir.
This reservoir is designed to remain close to
equilibrium with the reacting gas streams as they
follow their reaction trajectory and thus retains a
'chemical memory' of the conditions to which it
has been exposed.
The result is that hydrogen is produced as a
pure product stream, removing the need for
costly separation of the final products.
Led by Newcastle University, UK, the research
involved experts from the universities of Durham
and Edinburgh and the European Synchrotron
Radiation Facility in France, and was funded by
the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research
Council (EPSRC).
Professor Ian Metcalfe, lead author and
Professor of Chemical Engineering at Newcastle
University said:
"Chemical changes are usually performed via
mixed reactions whereby multiple reactants
are mixed together and heated. But this leads
to losses, incomplete conversion of reactants
and a final mixture of products that need to be
separated.
"With our Hydrogen Memory Reactor we can
produce pure, separated products. You could
call it the perfect reactor."
24 June 2019