Production of hydrogen fuel is a key goal towards the development of sustainable energy practices, but this process does not have feasible methods yet, with it currently being excessively energy- and water-intensive.
Now, a team from the Tokyo University of Science believes it’s found a novel technique of using a special type of rust and light to speed up hydrogen production from organic waste — a finding that can revolutionize the clean energy industry.
Using the light from a mercury/xenon lamp, a water-methanol solution and a specific form of rust as the catalyst, the research team found themselves producing 25 times more hydrogen than previous titanium dioxide techniques.
As an added benefit, something about this particular form of rust seems to help stop the hydrogen gas from re-coupling with the oxygen in the container, allowing easier separation and heading off a potentially explosive hazard.
The researchers are now working on tweaking the process, which could potentially smoothen the transition towards a greener energy industry.
