Making hydrogen gets cheaper and greener

Copyright: Sandia National Laboratories

By: Katie Mantell

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<h1>Making hydrogen gets cheaper and greener</h1>
<h4>By: Katie Mantell</h4>
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<p><P>Scientists have discovered a catalyst for producing hydrogen from plant material without the need for expensive heavy metals. </P><br />
<P>Touted as a possible clean fuel of the future, hydrogen can be used to generate electricity with no polluting by-products. But current methods for producing hydrogen itself do not share these qualities, as most hydrogen is produced from non-renewable natural gas and petrol.</P><br />
<P>Last year, scientists revealed that they had developed catalysts that help convert plant material into hydrogen (with carbon dioxide as a by-product). But these catalysts require expensive precious metals, such as platinum, in order to prevent the formation of unwanted compounds like methane.</P><br />
<P>The new nickel-based catalyst seems to accomplish the same task, without the expense, report a team of US scientists in this week’s <em>Science</em>.</P><br />
<P><a href="/sci.cfm?redir=http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/full/300/5628/2075?ijkey=vBuACRlaeVX/2&keytype=ref&siteid=sci" target="_blank" onclick="pageTracker._trackPageview('/tracking/external/'+this.href);" rel="noopener noreferrer">Link to Science research paper</A></P><br />
<P>Reference: <em>Science</em> 300, 2075 (2003)</P></p>

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Scientists have discovered a catalyst for producing hydrogen from plant material without the need for expensive heavy metals.

Touted as a possible clean fuel of the future, hydrogen can be used to generate electricity with no polluting by-products. But current methods for producing hydrogen itself do not share these qualities, as most hydrogen is produced from non-renewable natural gas and petrol.

Last year, scientists revealed that they had developed catalysts that help convert plant material into hydrogen (with carbon dioxide as a by-product). But these catalysts require expensive precious metals, such as platinum, in order to prevent the formation of unwanted compounds like methane.

The new nickel-based catalyst seems to accomplish the same task, without the expense, report a team of US scientists in this week’s Science.

Link to Science research paper

Reference: Science 300, 2075 (2003)