H2 TRANSPORTATION LOGISTICS

Great Wall Motor delivers 100 hydrogen trucks in China


© FTXT Energy Technology

By Molly Burgesson Aug 23, 2021
 AVL List GmbH - Official Sponsors of H2 View's Mobility Content

A fleet of 100 hydrogen-powered trucks have been delivered for the Xiong’an New Area construction project in Hebei Province, China.

FTXT Energy Technology, a subsidiary of Great Wall Motor (GWM), along with partners Dayun, Dongfeng and Foton, today (August 23) handed over the fleet to help promote a green hydrogen transportation network nationwide.

Each of the trucks are fitted with 111kW hydrogen fuel cell engines, hydrogen stacks and hydrogen storage – all of which was boasted when the vehicles were unveiled the Great Wall Technology Centre.

Once operational the trucks will be refuelled at ten already developed service stations that are fitted with hydrogen stations.

It’s not just how green the vehicles are that is a bonus, however, the vehicles are thought to be approximately 28% cheaper than its diesel alternatives due to them featuring locally sourced components.

As H2 View heard earlier this year during an exclusive interview, GWM will roll out its first hydrogen-powered SUV this year, and deploy its hydrogen-powered cars during the Winter Olympics in China next year.


On this, Zhang Tianyu, Head of FTXT Energy, said “The technological breakthroughs we have achieved till now, in many ways have helped us to significantly reduce the costs of the final product, as well as ensure high performance, durability, and overall efficiency.”

Great Wall Motor wants to be among the top three hydrogen powertrain suppliers by 2025


© Great Wall Motor

Great Wall Motor (GWM) wants to become a major hydrogen fuel cell vehicle manufacturer globally. The Chinese automaker is planning to launch the world’s first hydrogen-powered sport utility vehicle and produce 100 hydrogen-powered heavy-duty trucks in 2021 – and it’s exactly these medium and large passenger vehicles where GWM sees the most potential for hydrogen fuel cell technology.

“It will be quite difficult for them [battery electric vehicles] to effectively tackle medium and heavy-duty commercial applications in the medium and long-term, and this is where hydrogen has its strong potential as a clean energy carrier,” Will Zhang, Chairman of FTXT Energy, GWM’s hydrogen subsidiary, told H2 View.

GWM, the first Chinese Hydrogen Council member, has already invested ¥2bn ($309m) in hydrogen product and business development, and intends to invest another ¥3bn ($463.6m) over the next three years. By 2025, GWM is aiming to be among the top three hydrogen powertrain suppliers in the world.

“Our intent to invest substantial amount of resources in the development of the hydrogen business vests on our belief that hydrogen energy will indeed occupy a significant share in certain application niches,” Zhang continued.

Continue reading here.

Hyzon Motors has begun shipping hydrogen fuel cell trucks to customers

Aria Alamalhodaei@breadfrom / August 11, 221

Image Credits: Hyzon Motors(opens in a new window)

Hydrogen-powered heavy-duty truck company Hyzon Motors said Wednesday it is ramping up operations in the wake of its merger with blank-check firm Decarbonization Plus Acquisition Corp., including shipping its first trucks to European customers.

The company, which reported second-quarter earnings Wednesday, said it is also preparing to start its first customer trials in the United States.

Like other transportation companies that have gone public via a merger with a special purpose acquisition fund, Hyzon doesn’t yet have any revenue to speak of. Instead, Hyzon is banking on the huge injection of capital from the transaction — more than $500 million — and growing customer orders to take it to positive cash flow.

As of now, the company reported a net loss for the quarter of $9.4 million, including $3.5 million in R&D expenses. It had a negative adjusted EBITDA of $9.1 million. The company has $517 million in cash on hand, enough to reach free cash flow by 2024 without having to sell additional equity, Hyzon CFO Mark Gordon said during a second-quarter earnings call.

In addition to manufacturing hydrogen fuel cell powertrains, Hyzon is also investing in hydrogen fuel production hubs, a key piece of infrastructure for technology uptake. In April, the company signed an MOU for a joint venture with renewable fuels company Raven SR for up to 100 hydrogen production hubs. Gordon confirmed the first two will be in the Bay Area.

He also said that the company is on track to deliver 85 fuel cell vehicles by the end of this year, with the company’s first revenue coming next quarter. Orders and memoranda of understanding under contract has grown to $83 million from $55 million as of April, but many of the MOUs are non-binding. An agreement with Austrian grocer MRPEIS for 70 trucks next year is one such example. Similarly, Hyzon faces a slightly uphill battle in terms of technological adoption, as many of their customers have never seen or used a hydrogen fuel-cell vehicle.

“Many customers are getting their hands on the first fuel cell vehicles they’ve ever seen in the next six to 12 months,” CEO Craig Knight said during the call. That is a genuine kind of technology validation process and the customers need to feel comfortable the vehicles function well in their use case.”

While many of Hyzon’s sales are for a small number of trucks, Knight said he sees the purchasing timeline from initial sale to fleet conversion growing shorter — at least in Europe, where there is significantly more hydrogen availability. “Whereas, earlier I would have said, it’s a 12-to-18 month process to go from getting your first fuel cell truck and trying it out and then maybe getting a few more and figuring out what fleet conversion would look like over time, and then kicking off that fleet conversion process — I actually think that’s compressing,” Knight said.

The company is focused mostly on back-to-base operations rather than long-haul freight haulage, as the latter requires a more extensively built-out hydrogen refueling network. The U.S. customer trial with logistics company Total Transport Services Inc. is a high-utilization (trucks can run up to 18-20 hours per day) use case, but the truck will only ever need to access the single refueling station in Wilmington, California. “It’s a good application for hydrogen, and we’re not introducing the complication of having to find hydrogen stations across the country,” Knight said.

NFI receives its first order for ADL's H2.0 second-generation hydrogen bus with an order for 20 double deck buses from Liverpool City Region

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Publishing date:

Aug 27, 2021  •  

Article content

LARBERT, Scotland, Aug. 27, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — (TSX: NFI, OTC: NFYEF) NFI Group Inc. (“NFI” or the “Company”), a leading independent bus and coach manufacturer and a leader in mobility solutions, today announced that NFI subsidiary Alexander Dennis Limited (“ADL”) has been selected by the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority as supplier for 20 zero-emission hydrogen double deck buses following a competitive tendering process. This is the first order for ADL’s H2.0 second-generation hydrogen double deck bus, or ADL Enviro400FCEV.

The 20 ADL Enviro400FCEV buses are being directly purchased through the Liverpool City Region’s Transforming Cities Fund and will be owned by the people of the City Region. The buses will initially serve the City Region’s busiest route, the 10A between St Helens and Liverpool city centre.

The Enviro400FCEV has been developed on the next-generation H2.0 platform and will be powered by a Ballard fuel cell power module through the efficient Voith Electrical Drive System. With hydrogen tanks and key components intelligently packaged by the engineers that developed the market’s widest range of clean buses, the integral vehicle perfectly balances weight and maximises saloon space.

The hydrogen bus project is a key part of Liverpool City Region Metro Mayor Steve Rotheram’s ‘Vision for Bus’, which commits to using the powers available through devolution to build a better, more reliable and affordable bus network for the City Region. Broader plans also include the building of hydrogen refuelling facilities, which will be the first of their kind in the North West, due to begin later in the year.

With the Metro Mayor having set a target for the Liverpool City Region to become net zero carbon by 2040 at the latest – at least a decade before national targets – the hydrogen buses will be an important addition to the region’s existing fleet, which is already more than 70% low emissions.

“82% of all journeys on public transport in our region are taken by bus and this new fleet will give people a clean, green and comfortable way to get about. Reforming our bus network is a massive part of my plan for an integrated London-style transport network that makes traveling around our region quick, cheap and reliable,” said Steve Rotheram, Metro Mayor of the Liverpool City Region. “We want to be doing our bit to tackle climate change and improve air quality across the region too. These buses will be a really important part of making that happen. Alongside the hydrogen refuelling facilities we’re building and some of the other exciting green projects we’re investing in, our region is leading the Green Industrial Revolution.”

“It is an honour to support the Liverpool City Region’s ‘Vision for Bus’ program and its evolution to net zero carbon,” said Paul Soubry, President & Chief Executive Officer, NFI. “NFI and ADL have a history of innovation, and the next generation H2.0 is a showcase of our continued focus on developing the world’s best buses that incorporate clean, connected technology to drive sustainable transportation.”

“With its investment in this new fleet of hydrogen buses, the Combined Authority has chosen the latest in clean technology for the Liverpool City Region. We are delighted they have put their confidence in ADL to deliver their green agenda,” said Paul Davies, ADL President & Managing Director. “Our next generation H2.0 platform builds on 25 years of experience in hydrogen fuel cell technology. Designed and built in Britain, these buses will help to secure skilled jobs and apprenticeships across the bus manufacturing industry which is hugely important as we continue the decarbonisation journey.”

NFI is a leader in zero-emission mobility, with electric vehicles operating (or on order) in more than 80 cities in five countries. Today, NFI supports growing North American cities with scalable, clean, and sustainable mobility solutions through a four-pillar approach that includes buses and coaches, technology, infrastructure, and workforce development. It also operates the Vehicle Innovation Center (“VIC”), the first and only innovation lab of its kind dedicated to advancing bus and coach technology and providing workforce development. Since opening late 2017, the VIC has hosted over 300 interactive events, welcoming 3,000 industry professionals for EV and infrastructure training. For more information, visit newflyer.com/VIC.

About NFI

Leveraging 450 years of combined experience, NFI is leading the electrification of mass mobility around the world. With zero-emission buses and coaches, infrastructure, and technology, NFI meets today’s urban demands for scalable smart mobility solutions. Together, NFI is enabling more livable cities through connected, clean, and sustainable transportation.

With 8,000 team members in nine countries, NFI is a leading global bus manufacturer of mass mobility solutions under the brands New Flyer^® (heavy-duty transit buses), MCI^® (motor coaches), Alexander Dennis Limited (single and double-deck buses), Plaxton (motor coaches), ARBOC^® (low-floor cutaway and medium-duty buses), and NFI Parts™. NFI currently offers the widest range of sustainable drive systems available, including zero-emission electric (trolley, battery, and fuel cell), natural gas, electric hybrid, and clean diesel. In total, NFI supports its installed base of over 105,000 buses and coaches around the world. NFI common shares are traded on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the symbol NFI. News and information is available at www.nfigroup.com, www.newflyer.com, www.mcicoach.com, www.arbocsv.com, www.alexander-dennis.com, and www.nfi.parts.

About Alexander Dennis

Alexander Dennis Limited (“ADL”) is a global leader in the design and manufacture of double deck buses and is also the UK’s largest bus and coach manufacturer. ADL offers single and double deck vehicles under the brands of Alexander Dennis and Plaxton, and has over 31,000 vehicles in service in the UK, Europe, Hong Kong, Singapore, New Zealand, Mexico, Canada and the United States. Further information is available at www.alexander-dennis.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release may contain forward-looking statements relating to expected future events and financial and operating results of NFI that involve risks and uncertainties. Although the forward-looking statements contained in this press release are based upon what management believes to be reasonable assumptions, investors cannot be assured that actual results will be consistent with these forward-looking statements, and the differences may be material. Actual results may differ materially from management expectations as projected in such forward-looking statements for a variety of reasons, including market and general economic conditions and economic conditions of and funding availability for customers to purchase buses and to purchase parts or services, customers may not exercise options to purchase additional buses, the ability of customers to suspend or terminate contracts for convenience and the other risks and uncertainties discussed in the materials filed with the Canadian securities regulatory authorities and available on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. Due to the potential impact of these factors, NFI disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, unless required by applicable law.

Using aluminum and water to make clean hydrogen fuel — when and where it’s needed

MIT team produces practical guidelines for generating hydrogen using scrap aluminum.

Nancy W. Stauffer | MIT Energy Initiative
Publication Date:August 12, 2021
PRESS INQUIRIES

Caption:Laureen Meroueh PhD ’20 (pictured) and professors Douglas P. Hart and Thomas W. Eagar have shown how to use scrap aluminum plus water to generate the flow of hydrogen needed for a particular practical application.
Credits:Photo: Reza Mirshekari


As the world works to move away from fossil fuels, many researchers are investigating whether clean hydrogen fuel can play an expanded role in sectors from transportation and industry to buildings and power generation. It could be used in fuel cell vehicles, heat-producing boilers, electricity-generating gas turbines, systems for storing renewable energy, and more.

But while using hydrogen doesn’t generate carbon emissions, making it typically does. Today, almost all hydrogen is produced using fossil fuel-based processes that together generate more than 2 percent of all global greenhouse gas emissions. In addition, hydrogen is often produced in one location and consumed in another, which means its use also presents logistical challenges.

A promising reaction

Another option for producing hydrogen comes from a perhaps surprising source: reacting aluminum with water. Aluminum metal will readily react with water at room temperature to form aluminum hydroxide and hydrogen. That reaction doesn’t typically take place because a layer of aluminum oxide naturally coats the raw metal, preventing it from coming directly into contact with water.

Using the aluminum-water reaction to generate hydrogen doesn’t produce any greenhouse gas emissions, and it promises to solve the transportation problem for any location with available water. Simply move the aluminum and then react it with water on-site. “Fundamentally, the aluminum becomes a mechanism for storing hydrogen — and a very effective one,” says Douglas P. Hart, professor of mechanical engineering at MIT. “Using aluminum as our source, we can ‘store’ hydrogen at a density that’s 10 times greater than if we just store it as a compressed gas.”

Two problems have kept aluminum from being employed as a safe, economical source for hydrogen generation. The first problem is ensuring that the aluminum surface is clean and available to react with water. To that end, a practical system must include a means of first modifying the oxide layer and then keeping it from re-forming as the reaction proceeds.

The second problem is that pure aluminum is energy-intensive to mine and produce, so any practical approach needs to use scrap aluminum from various sources. But scrap aluminum is not an easy starting material. It typically occurs in an alloyed form, meaning that it contains other elements that are added to change the properties or characteristics of the aluminum for different uses. For example, adding magnesium increases strength and corrosion-resistance, adding silicon lowers the melting point, and adding a little of both makes an alloy that’s moderately strong and corrosion-resistant.

Despite considerable research on aluminum as a source of hydrogen, two key questions remain: What’s the best way to prevent the adherence of an oxide layer on the aluminum surface, and how do alloying elements in a piece of scrap aluminum affect the total amount of hydrogen generated and the rate at which it is generated?

“If we’re going to use scrap aluminum for hydrogen generation in a practical application, we need to be able to better predict what hydrogen generation characteristics we’re going to observe from the aluminum-water reaction,” says Laureen Meroueh PhD ’20, who earned her doctorate in mechanical engineering.

Since the fundamental steps in the reaction aren’t well understood, it’s been hard to predict the rate and volume at which hydrogen forms from scrap aluminum, which can contain varying types and concentrations of alloying elements. So Hart, Meroueh, and Thomas W. Eagar, a professor of materials engineering and engineering management in the MIT Department of Materials Science and Engineering, decided to examine — in a systematic fashion — the impacts of those alloying elements on the aluminum-water reaction and on a promising technique for preventing the formation of the interfering oxide layer.

To prepare, they had experts at Novelis Inc. fabricate samples of pure aluminum and of specific aluminum alloys made of commercially pure aluminum combined with either 0.6 percent silicon (by weight), 1 percent magnesium, or both — compositions that are typical of scrap aluminum from a variety of sources. Using those samples, the MIT researchers performed a series of tests to explore different aspects of the aluminum-water reaction.

Pre-treating the aluminum

The first step was to demonstrate an effective means of penetrating the oxide layer that forms on aluminum in the air. Solid aluminum is made up of tiny grains that are packed together with occasional boundaries where they don’t line up perfectly. To maximize hydrogen production, researchers would need to prevent the formation of the oxide layer on all those interior grain surfaces.

Research groups have already tried various ways of keeping the aluminum grains “activated” for reaction with water. Some have crushed scrap samples into particles so tiny that the oxide layer doesn’t adhere. But aluminum powders are dangerous, as they can react with humidity and explode. Another approach calls for grinding up scrap samples and adding liquid metals to prevent oxide deposition. But grinding is a costly and energy-intensive process.

To Hart, Meroueh, and Eagar, the most promising approach — first introduced by Jonathan Slocum ScD ’18 while he was working in Hart’s research group — involved pre-treating the solid aluminum by painting liquid metals on top and allowing them to permeate through the grain boundaries.

To determine the effectiveness of that approach, the researchers needed to confirm that the liquid metals would reach the internal grain surfaces, with and without alloying elements present. And they had to establish how long it would take for the liquid metal to coat all of the grains in pure aluminum and its alloys.

They started by combining two metals — gallium and indium — in specific proportions to create a “eutectic” mixture; that is, a mixture that would remain in liquid form at room temperature. They coated their samples with the eutectic and allowed it to penetrate for time periods ranging from 48 to 96 hours. They then exposed the samples to water and monitored the hydrogen yield (the amount formed) and flow rate for 250 minutes. After 48 hours, they also took high-magnification scanning electron microscope (SEM) images so they could observe the boundaries between adjacent aluminum grains.

Based on the hydrogen yield measurements and the SEM images, the MIT team concluded that the gallium-indium eutectic does naturally permeate and reach the interior grain surfaces. However, the rate and extent of penetration vary with the alloy. The permeation rate was the same in silicon-doped aluminum samples as in pure aluminum samples but slower in magnesium-doped samples.

Perhaps most interesting were the results from samples doped with both silicon and magnesium — an aluminum alloy often found in recycling streams. Silicon and magnesium chemically bond to form magnesium silicide, which occurs as solid deposits on the internal grain surfaces. Meroueh hypothesized that when both silicon and magnesium are present in scrap aluminum, those deposits can act as barriers that impede the flow of the gallium-indium eutectic.

The experiments and images confirmed her hypothesis: The solid deposits did act as barriers, and images of samples pre-treated for 48 hours showed that permeation wasn’t complete. Clearly, a lengthy pre-treatment period would be critical for maximizing the hydrogen yield from scraps of aluminum containing both silicon and magnesium.

Meroueh cites several benefits to the process they used. “You don’t have to apply any energy for the gallium-indium eutectic to work its magic on aluminum and get rid of that oxide layer,” she says. “Once you’ve activated your aluminum, you can drop it in water, and it’ll generate hydrogen — no energy input required.” Even better, the eutectic doesn’t chemically react with the aluminum. “It just physically moves around in between the grains,” she says. “At the end of the process, I could recover all of the gallium and indium I put in and use it again” — a valuable feature as gallium and (especially) indium are costly and in relatively short supply.

Impacts of alloying elements on hydrogen generation

The researchers next investigated how the presence of alloying elements affects hydrogen generation. They tested samples that had been treated with the eutectic for 96 hours; by then, the hydrogen yield and flow rates had leveled off in all the samples.

The presence of 0.6 percent silicon increased the hydrogen yield for a given weight of aluminum by 20 percent compared to pure aluminum — even though the silicon-containing sample had less aluminum than the pure aluminum sample. In contrast, the presence of 1 percent magnesium produced far less hydrogen, while adding both silicon and magnesium pushed the yield up, but not to the level of pure aluminum.

The presence of silicon also greatly accelerated the reaction rate, producing a far higher peak in the flow rate but cutting short the duration of hydrogen output. The presence of magnesium produced a lower flow rate but allowed the hydrogen output to remain fairly steady over time. And once again, aluminum with both alloying elements produced a flow rate between that of magnesium-doped and pure aluminum.

Those results provide practical guidance on how to adjust the hydrogen output to match the operating needs of a hydrogen-consuming device. If the starting material is commercially pure aluminum, adding small amounts of carefully selected alloying elements can tailor the hydrogen yield and flow rate. If the starting material is scrap aluminum, careful choice of the source can be key. For high, brief bursts of hydrogen, pieces of silicon-containing aluminum from an auto junkyard could work well. For lower but longer flows, magnesium-containing scraps from the frame of a demolished building might be better. For results somewhere in between, aluminum containing both silicon and magnesium should work well; such material is abundantly available from scrapped cars and motorcycles, yachts, bicycle frames, and even smartphone cases.

It should also be possible to combine scraps of different aluminum alloys to tune the outcome, notes Meroueh. “If I have a sample of activated aluminum that contains just silicon and another sample that contains just magnesium, I can put them both into a container of water and let them react,” she says. “So I get the fast ramp-up in hydrogen production from the silicon and then the magnesium takes over and has that steady output.”

Another opportunity for tuning: Reducing grain size

Another practical way to affect hydrogen production could be to reduce the size of the aluminum grains — a change that should increase the total surface area available for reactions to occur.

To investigate that approach, the researchers requested specially customized samples from their supplier. Using standard industrial procedures, the Novelis experts first fed each sample through two rollers, squeezing it from the top and bottom so that the internal grains were flattened. They then heated each sample until the long, flat grains had reorganized and shrunk to a targeted size.

In a series of carefully designed experiments, the MIT team found that reducing the grain size increased the efficiency and decreased the duration of the reaction to varying degrees in the different samples. Again, the presence of particular alloying elements had a major effect on the outcome.

Needed: A revised theory that explains observations

Throughout their experiments, the researchers encountered some unexpected results. For example, standard corrosion theory predicts that pure aluminum will generate more hydrogen than silicon-doped aluminum will — the opposite of what they observed in their experiments.

To shed light on the underlying chemical reactions, Hart, Meroueh, and Eagar investigated hydrogen “flux,” that is, the volume of hydrogen generated over time on each square centimeter of aluminum surface, including the interior grains. They examined three grain sizes for each of their four compositions and collected thousands of data points measuring hydrogen flux.

Their results show that reducing grain size has significant effects. It increases the peak hydrogen flux from silicon-doped aluminum as much as 100 times and from the other three compositions by 10 times. With both pure aluminum and silicon-containing aluminum, reducing grain size also decreases the delay before the peak flux and increases the rate of decline afterward. With magnesium-containing aluminum, reducing the grain size brings about an increase in peak hydrogen flux and results in a slightly faster decline in the rate of hydrogen output. With both silicon and magnesium present, the hydrogen flux over time resembles that of magnesium-containing aluminum when the grain size is not manipulated. When the grain size is reduced, the hydrogen output characteristics begin to resemble behavior observed in silicon-containing aluminum. That outcome was unexpected because when silicon and magnesium are both present, they react to form magnesium silicide, resulting in a new type of aluminum alloy with its own properties.

The researchers stress the benefits of developing a better fundamental understanding of the underlying chemical reactions involved. In addition to guiding the design of practical systems, it might help them find a replacement for the expensive indium in their pre-treatment mixture. Other work has shown that gallium will naturally permeate through the grain boundaries of aluminum. “At this point, we know that the indium in our eutectic is important, but we don’t really understand what it does, so we don’t know how to replace it,” says Hart.

But already Hart, Meroueh, and Eagar have demonstrated two practical ways of tuning the hydrogen reaction rate: by adding certain elements to the aluminum and by manipulating the size of the interior aluminum grains. In combination, those approaches can deliver significant results. “If you go from magnesium-containing aluminum with the largest grain size to silicon-containing aluminum with the smallest grain size, you get a hydrogen reaction rate that differs by two orders of magnitude,” says Meroueh. “That’s huge if you’re trying to design a real system that would use this reaction.”

This research was supported through the MIT Energy Initiative by ExxonMobil-MIT Energy Fellowships awarded to Laureen Meroueh PhD ’20 from 2018 to 2020.

This article appears in the Spring 2021 issue of Energy Futures, the magazine of the MIT Energy Initiative.

A clean US hydrogen economy is within reach, but needs a game plan, energy researchers say

Date:August 11, 2021
Source:
Cell Press

Summary:
Addressing climate change requires not only a clean electrical grid, but also a clean fuel to reduce emissions from industrial heat, long-haul heavy transportation, and long-duration energy storage. Hydrogen and its derivatives could be that fuel, argues a recent commentary , but a clean U.S. H2 economy will require a comprehensive strategy and a 10-year plan. The commentary suggests that careful consideration of future H2 infrastructure, including production, transport, storage, use, and economic viability, will be critical to the success of efforts aimed at making clean H2 viable on a societal scale.

"We applaud the U.S. Secretary of Energy, Jennifer Granholm, for launching the ambitious Hydrogen Earthshot program with a technology-agnostic stretch goal of greenhouse gas-free H2 production at $1/kg before the end of this decade," write Arun Majumdar, a Jay Precourt Professor and Co-Director of the Precourt Institute for Energy at Stanford University and lead author of the commentary, and colleagues. "Similar R&D programs with techno-economic stretch goals are needed for H2 storage, use, and transport as well. The Hydrogen Earthshot is necessary to create a hydrogen economy, but it is not sufficient."

About 70 million metric tons of H2 are produced around the world each year, with the U.S. contributing about one-seventh of the global output. Much of this H2 is used to produce fertilizer and petrochemicals, and nearly all of it is considered "gray H2," which costs only about $1 per kilogram to produce but comes with roughly 10 kilograms of CO2 baggage per kilogram H2.

"An H2 economy already exists, but it involves lots of greenhouse gas emissions," says Majumdar. "Almost all of it is based on H2 from methane. A clean H2 economy does not exist today."

Researchers have plenty of colorful visions as to what a clean H2 economy might look like. "Blue H2," for example, involves capturing CO2 and reducing emissions, resulting in H2 with less greenhouse gas output. However, it currently costs about 50% more than gray H2, not including the cost of developing the pipelines and sequestration systems needed to transport and store unwanted CO2.

"To make blue H2 a viable option, research and development is needed to reduce CO2 capture costs and further improve capture completeness," write Majumdar and colleagues.

Another form of clean H2 -- dubbed "green H2" -- has also captured scientists' attention. Green H2 involves the use of electricity and electrolyzers to split water, without any greenhouse gas byproducts. However, it costs $4 to $6 per kilogram, a price that Majumdar and colleagues suggest could be reduced to under $2 per kilogram with a reduction in carbon-free electricity and electrolyzer costs.

"Turquoise H2," which is achieved through methane pyrolysis, when methane is cracked to generate greenhouse gas-free H2, is also creating a buzz in the research world. The solid carbon co-product generated in this process could be sold to help offset costs, although Majumdar and colleagues point out that the quantity of solid carbon produced at the necessary scale would exceed current demand, resulting in a need for R&D efforts to develop new markets for its use.

Whether blue, green, or turquoise, greenhouse gas-free (and, in actuality, colorless) H2 or its derivatives could be used in transportation, the chemical reduction of captured CO2, long-duration energy storage in a highly renewable energy-dependent grid, and chemical reductants for steel and metallurgy, and as high-temperature industrial heat for glass and cement production. But for these applications to become a reality, H2 production will have to hit certain cost benchmarks -- $1 per kilogram for the production of ammonia and petrochemicals or for use as a transportation fuel or fuel cells.

The researchers also emphasize that the U.S. will need to consider how H2 pipelines will be developed and deployed in order to transport it, as well as how to store H2 cost-effectively at a large scale. "Developing and siting new pipeline infrastructure is generally expensive and involves challenges of social acceptance," write Majumdar and colleagues. "Hence, it is important to explore alternative approaches for a hydrogen economy that does not require a new H2 pipeline infrastructure. Instead, it is worth using existing infrastructure to transport the feedstock for H2 -- electric grid for transporting electricity for water splitting; natural gas pipelines to transport methane for pyrolysis."

"While there has been some systematic study of geological storage, the United States Geological Survey should be charged with undertaking a national survey to identify the many locations where underground storage of hydrogen is possible while also considering the infrastructure costs needed to use these caverns," the researchers add.

Story Source:

Materials provided by Cell Press. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.

Journal Reference:
Arun Majumdar, John M. Deutch, Ravi S. Prasher, Thomas P. Griffin. A framework for a hydrogen economy. Joule, 2021; DOI: 10.1016/j.joule.2021.07.007


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Cell Press. "A clean US hydrogen economy is within reach, but needs a game plan, energy researchers say." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 11 August 2021. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/08/210811113145.htm>.

Novel technique seamlessly converts ammonia to 'green' hydrogen

Date:

August 11, 2021

Source:

Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology(UNIST)

Summary:

A recent study has announced a breakthrough in technology that efficiently converts liquid ammonia into hydrogen.

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A research team, led by Professor Guntae Kim in the School of Energy and Chemical Engineering at UNIST has announced a breakthrough in technology that efficiently converts liquid ammonia into hydrogen. Their findings have also attracted significant attention from academic research communities owing to its new analysis protocol, capable of finding optimal process environments.

In this study, the research team succeeded in producing green hydrogen (H2) in large quantities with a purity of nearly 100 percent by decomposing liquid ammonia (NH3) into electricity. Besides, according to the research team, such method consumed three times less power than hydrogen made using electrolysis of water.

Ammonia has emerged as an attractive potential hydrogen carrier due to its extremely high energy density, and ease of storage and handling. Moreover, the electrolysis of ammonia to produce nitrogen and hydrogen only requires an external voltage of 0.06 V theoretically, which is much lower than the energy needed for water electrolysis (1.23 V), noted the research team.

In this study, the research team propose a well-established procedure using in operando gas chromatography that enables us to reliably compare and evaluate the new catalyst for ammonia oxidation. According to the research team, with the protocol, they could distinguish in detail the competitive oxidation reaction between the ammonia oxidation and oxygen evolutionreactions with real-time monitoring.

With the use of flower-like electrodeposited Pt catalyst, researchers have efficiently produced hydrogen with less power consumption of 734 LH2 kW h?1, which is significantly lower than that of the water-splitting process (242 LH2 kW h?1). "The use of this rigorous protocol should help to evaluate the practical performances for ammonia oxidation, thus enabling the field to focus on viable pathways towards the practical electrochemical oxidation of ammonia to hydrogen," noted the research team.

This study has been co-authored by Minzae Lee, Myung-gi Seo, Hyung-Ki Min, and Youngheon Choi from Lotte Chemical R&D Center, respectively. Their work has also been featured on the inside back cover of Journal of Material Chemistry A, which was made available online in March 2021 ahead of final publication in May 2021. This research has been carried out with the support of Lotte Chemical, Ministry of Science and ICT (MSIT), and the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF).

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Story Source:

Materials provided by Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology(UNIST). Original written by JooHyeon Heo. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.

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Journal Reference:

1. Yejin Yang, Jeongwon Kim, Hyoi Jo, Arim Seong, Minzae Lee, Hyung-Ki Min, Myung-gi Seo, Youngheon Choi, Guntae Kim. A rigorous electrochemical ammonia electrolysis protocol with in operando quantitative analysis. Journal of Materials Chemistry A, 2021; 9 (19): 11571 DOI: 10.1039/D1TA00363A

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Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology(UNIST). "Novel technique seamlessly converts ammonia to 'green' hydrogen." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 11 August 2021. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/08/210811162912.htm>.

Green hydrogen: Why do certain catalysts improve in operation?

Crystalline cobalt arsenide is a catalyst that generates oxygen during electrolytic water splitting in the production of hydrogen.

Date:

August 9, 2021

Source:

Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin für Materialien und Energie

Summary:

As a rule, most catalyst materials deteriorate during repeated catalytic cycles – they age. But there are also compounds that increase their performance over the course of catalysis. One example is the mineral erythrite, a mineral compound comprising cobalt and arsenic oxides. Erythrite lends itself to accelerating oxygen generation at the anode during electrolytic splitting of water into hydrogen and oxygen.

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As a rule, most catalyst materials deteriorate during repeated catalytic cycles -- they age. But there are also compounds that increase their performance over the course of catalysis. One example is the mineral erythrite, a mineral compound comprising cobalt and arsenic oxides with a molecular formula of (Co3(AsO4)2?8H2O). The mineral stands out because of its purple colour. Erythrite lends itself to accelerating oxygen generation at the anode during electrolytic splitting of water into hydrogen and oxygen.

Samples from Costa Rica

The young investigator group headed by Dr. Marcel Risch at the HZB together with groups from Costa Rica has now analysed these catalysing mineral materials in detail at BESSY II and made an interesting discovery.

Using samples produced by colleagues in Costa Rica consisting of tiny erythrite crystals in powder form, Javier Villalobos, a doctoral student in Risch's group at the HZB, coated the electrodes with this powder. He then examined them before, during, and after hundreds of electrolysis cycles in four different pH-neutral electrolytes, including ordinary soda water (carbonated water).

Loss of original structure

Over time, the surface of each catalytically active layer exhibited clear changes in all the electrolytes. The original crystalline structure was lost, as shown by images from the scanning electron microscope, and more cobalt ions changed their oxidation number due to the applied voltage, which was determined electrochemically. Increased oxygen yield was also demonstrated over time in soda water (carbonated water), though only in that electrolyte. The catalyst clearly improved.

Observations at BESSY II

With analyses at BESSY II, the researchers are now able to explain why this was the case: using X-ray absorption spectroscopy, they scanned the atomic and chemical environment around the cobalt ions. The more active samples lost their original erythrite crystal structure and were transformed into a less ordered structure that can be described as platelets just two atoms thick. The larger these platelets became, the more active the sample was. The data over the course of the catalysis cycles showed that the oxidation number of the cobalt in these platelets increased the most in soda water, from 2.0 to 2.8. Since oxides with an oxidation number of 3 are known to be very good catalysts, this explains the improvement relative to the catalysts that formed in the other electrolytes.

Oxygen yield doubled

In soda water, the oxygen yield per cobalt ion decreased by a factor of 28 over 800 cycles, but at the same time 56 times as many cobalt atoms changed their oxidation number electrochemically. Macroscopically, the electrical current generation and thus the oxygen yield of the electrode doubled.

From needles to Swiss cheese

In a nutshell, Risch explains: "Over time, the material becomes like Swiss cheese with many holes and a larger surface area where many more reactions can take place. Even if the individual catalytically active centres become somewhat weaker over time, the larger surface area means that many more potential catalytically active centres come into contact with the electrolyte and increase the yield."

Risch suggests that such mechanisms can also be found in many other classes of materials consisting of non-toxic compounds, which can be developed into suitable catalysts.

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Materials provided by Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin für Materialien und Energie. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.

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Journal Reference:

1. Javier Villalobos, Diego González‐Flores, Roberto Urcuyo, Mavis L. Montero, Götz Schuck, Paul Beyer, Marcel Risch. Requirements for Beneficial Electrochemical Restructuring: A Model Study on a Cobalt Oxide in Selected Electrolytes. Advanced Energy Materials, 2021; 2101737 DOI: 10.1002/aenm.202101737

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Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin für Materialien und Energie. "Green hydrogen: Why do certain catalysts improve in operation? Crystalline cobalt arsenide is a catalyst that generates oxygen during electrolytic water splitting in the production of hydrogen.." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 9 August 2021. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/08/210809144025.htm>.

 

EU’s clean hydrogen plan raises dirty doubts

Methane leaks from non-renewable hydrogen could pollute more than coal and natural gas.

Green hydrogen is cleaner but more expensive than blue hydrogen | Ina Fassbender/AFP via Getty Images

BY AMERICA HERNANDEZ
August 12, 2021

The EU's hopes of powering its green energy transformation with clean-burning hydrogen could potentially speed up global warming instead, scientists warn.

A study published Thursday shows that making hydrogen out of natural gas — even when capturing some of the escaping CO2 emissions to make what's known as "blue hydrogen" — is more polluting than simply burning natural gas directly.

"The use of blue hydrogen appears difficult to justify on climate grounds," the study said.

That's a problem for the EU. Its Hydrogen Strategy foresees ramping up production of blue hydrogen over the next decade to displace natural gas and also to use in hard-to-electrify sectors like heavy transport and steel and cement production. It's also banking on cleaner but more expensive green hydrogen, made from water and renewable electricity, eventually becoming available in larger quantities.

The vast majority of hydrogen produced in the EU is so-called grey hydrogen, made by splitting natural gas into hydrogen and carbon dioxide and allowing the CO2 to escape into the atmosphere. It's relatively cheap, but has a massive carbon footprint.

Blue hydrogen is a bit cleaner, but the process requires a great deal of energy, and that's supplied by burning natural gas, according to Robert Horwath, professor of ecology and environmental biology at Cornell University and co-author of the study published in Energy Science & Engineering.

Even more energy has to be used to capture the CO2 and "that electricity's also coming from burning more natural gas without capturing the emissions," he said.

Adding to blue hydrogen's negatives, its production also allows super-polluting methane to leak into the atmosphere, the study said.

The study comes just days after a major U.N. report by the world's top climate scientists warned that "strong, rapid and sustained reductions in methane emissions" are needed to keep global warming in check.


The U.N. report "makes that case more strongly than ever before ... that we really must immediately reduce methane emissions, and this would be doing exactly the opposite," Horwath said.

The study looked at various potential methane leakage rates, and found even at the lowest levels, blue hydrogen "is still somewhat worse than coal," he said. That's due to a higher global warming potential of methane, which offsets any climate gains obtained by cutting CO2.

Even potential changes to blue hydrogen production — such as capturing up to 90 percent of CO2 emissions, or using renewable electricity to power the gas-splitting process — would not make it substantially cleaner than natural gas, the study found.
Hydrogen blowback

Those conclusions are being challenged by industry and some researchers, who say the study's estimates of potential methane leakage are too high and its assumed rates of CO2 capture are too low when compared to previous studies and industry projections.

"Current project proposals in the U.S., the U.K., the Netherlands and Canada are targeting overall [CO2 capture] levels of 90 percent or more, and in some cases 95 to 97 percent," said Mike Fowler, head of zero-carbon fuels at the nonprofit U.S. Clean Air Task Force.

Yuan Xu, who leads the Environmental Policy and Governance Program at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, said the study's base case of a 3.5 percent methane leak rate was "close to the leakage rate for [more polluting] shale gas." A lower leak rate, which he said reflects conventional gas extraction, combined with a more conservative value for methane intensity, would lead to a result where blue hydrogen emits less than natural gas.

Howarth countered that his study is based on verifiable data from the only two commercial-scale blue hydrogen plants in existence — a Shell site in Alberta, Canada, and an Air Products plant in Texas — rather than optimistic corporate promises.

Others say the research highlights the need for more debate about fossil-based hydrogen and whether it can truly help the EU achieve its climate targets.

"It sounds like crucial new data for the [European] Commission to consider in implementing its hydrogen strategy," said Eleonora Moro, a researcher at the E3G climate think tank. "It further highlights the importance of avoiding public support for blue hydrogen, given its [limited] public climate value."

Published plans show EU investments in renewable hydrogen could range from €180 billion to €470 billion by 2050, with blue hydrogen receiving between €3 billion and €18 billion.

"The EU Hydrogen strategy is clear that fossil-based hydrogen with carbon capture will only be considered “low-carbon” if it leads to significantly reduced full life-cycle greenhouse gas emissions compared to existing hydrogen production," a Commission spokesperson said.

The Hydrogen and Decarbonization Gas Market Package, scheduled for adoption later this year, will address the issues surrounding CO2 capture levels and overall emissions for blue hydrogen.

Additional legislative proposals building on last year's Methane Strategy will aso be unveiled later this year, the spokesperson added. They will "require companies in the energy sector to measure, report, verify and mitigate methane emissions," as well as implement leak detection and repair measures.

Hydrogen: Savior or boondoggle for Russia?

Hydrogen: Savior or boondoggle for Russia?

Aliaksei Patonia explores the promise of hydrogen for Russia's future

Written byTransitions Online

Posted 25 August 2021 

A hydrogen fuel station. Photo by Bexim via Wikimedia Commons. CC BY-SA 4.0.

The Russian government’s just-released strategy document for the development of hydrogen as an energy source could be viewed as a turning point in Russia’s energy industry. At the same time, the document carries a familiar message: as the world gradually moves toward decarbonization, Russia is reluctant to lose its status as an energy superpower. With no intention of restricting production of its oil and gas resources, Russia wants to become a dominant global exporter of a new fuel – hydrogen.

Specifically, through the development of this new energy vector, Russia foresees exporting up to 50 million tons of hydrogen by mid-century, bringing an additional $23 billion to $100 billion to the annual budget. More ambitiously, the country intends to take up to 20 percent of the to-be-established global hydrogen market. Although, on paper, this might look like a feasible goal, Russia’s way towards new energy dominance might be bumpy.

A versatile tool

Dubbed by some the Swiss army knife of fuels, hydrogen is unique in many ways. As the universe’s most abundant element, it will never be in short supply. It can transform one form of energy (electrical) into another (chemical), store it for a long time and be transported to where it is needed. Most remarkably, however, it does not emit carbon dioxide when combusted. In fact, it generates only water as a byproduct.

These are just some of the reasons why many of the world’s most progressive signatories of the Paris Agreement on climate change have already adopted their national frameworks for hydrogen development, starting with Japan in 2017 and South Korea, New Zealand, and Australia in 2019. Norway, Germany, and the Netherlands were among the first European nations to publish their own strategies, in 2020. Seconding these efforts, the European Union adopted its hydrogen strategy in July 2020.

Viewing hydrogen as a core element in the consolidation of Europe’s energy sectors, the European Commission declares this fuel to be “essential to support the EU’s commitment to reach carbon neutrality.” With this in mind, it set an ambitious target of 40 gigawatts of electrolyzer capacity (using electrical energy to split water into its component hydrogen and oxygen) within Europe by 2030 to produce “renewable” or “green” hydrogen, which is regarded as the ultimate priority.

At the same time, being aware of the technological and financial constraints associated with such a comprehensive shift in the bloc’s energy industries, the EU recognizes that other cheaper and more available forms of “low-carbon” hydrogen (both domestically produced and imported) will have to play a role “in the short and medium term.”

Opportunities and pitfalls

Since the EU is one of the key export markets for the Russian energy industry, losing such an important partner in the energy transition battle is not viewed as an option by the Kremlin. Although the government’s hydrogen “concept,” as the document is titled, declares a goal of pursuing “green” hydrogen, in the short term, Russia will technically be unable to supply zero-carbon hydrogen to the EU primarily due to the insignificant share of renewables in national power production. At the same time, the short- and medium-term uncertainty around supplies of “low-carbon” hydrogen to Europe creates a window of opportunity for the Russian energy sector, traditionally strong in hydrocarbons and nuclear.

In particular, as the exact definition of suitable types of “low-carbon” hydrogen for the EU is yet to be agreed upon, the potential hydrogen color palette for the European market will probably go beyond green. The future spectrum will likely feature “blue” (fossil fuel-based hydrogen), “purple” (produced by electrolyzers using nuclear power), and “turquoise” (generated by methane pyrolysis).

At the same time, to take full advantage of this potential opportunity, Russia will need to significantly reshape its energy environment. For instance, to fully develop “blue” hydrogen, Gazprom and Novatek – the country’s two natural gas exporters – will need to invest in carbon capture and storage (CCS). Though both already seem to be interested, no significant large-scale CCS projects have yet been launched in Russia. Then there is the matter of delivering this form of hydrogen over large distances to the end users – a dilemma that will also need to be solved.

Similarly, with the growing interest in the development of methane pyrolysis, Gazprom has expressed its intention to produce “turquoise” hydrogen potentially close to the end market. With this in mind, the company has already conducted negotiations with such international partners as Germany. While this will dramatically reduce the generation costs, it is still not clear whether the EU will be willing to countenance the use of Russian methane to produce hydrogen fuel on its territory and, more importantly, when this technology will be finally commercialized.

Another giant Russian energy company, the nuclear monopoly Rosatom, has declared its intent to develop “purple” hydrogen. Rosatom already has floated ambitious plans to invest in renewables, and will likely look into developing zero-carbon hydrogen as well. Here, however, the same uncertainty of long-distance transportation appears to be a stumbling block.

Conceptual difficulties

Although the Russian hydrogen strategy is the most recent and detailed publicly available document on the Kremlin’s thinking on hydrogen, it is far from dramatically changing the rules of the game in the country’s energy sector. In fact, just like many other similar documents that are supposed to drive the development of the Russian energy industry, it appears to be reactive rather than pro-active, as it was adopted more than a year after the country’s key energy partners formulated their own hydrogen strategies.

More importantly, however, the concept is clearly export-oriented and does not mention significant steps for developing large-scale domestic hydrogen demand that would not be related to export activities. Here, lack of strong internal demand for hydrogen among the country’s own industries, businesses, and population is a factor that can make Russia’s hydrogen industry particularly vulnerable to external factors such as changes in hydrogen type preferences in the target markets.

For instance, with the rapid buildup of the EU’s “green” hydrogen potential, Russian “low-carbon” hydrogen may ultimately find itself pushed out of the European market. Alternatively, in even closer perspective, the European carbon border tax could potentially minimize the cost advantage of the various colors of Russian hydrogen fuel. As a result, the country’s newly built hydrogen sector may prove unable to fully serve its purpose and generate the expected revenues.

Finally, even with no significant upheavals on the future global hydrogen market, the new Russian hydrogen concept may remain a paper tiger if the country does not build up its export potential as planned. Here, given the current desperate need for foreign technologies across many segments of Russia’s energy sector, reaching the declared targets on its own is unlikely to be feasible. This appears to be even more doubtful in the adverse environment of international sanctions, when large-scale cross-border cooperation in most fields is constantly challenged.

Aliaksei Patonia is a visiting research fellow at the Oxford Institute for Energy Studies and a ReThink.CEE fellow of the German Marshall Fund of the United States. He currently focuses on the global energy transition and policies to incentivize “green” hydrogen production. This article originally appeared on Transitions Online on August 17, 2021, and is republished as part of a content-sharing partnership.

bneGREEN: Russia drafts hydrogen development plan

Russia is eyeing the hydrogen business as a future replacement for its doomed oil and gas business

By bne IntelliNews August 27, 2021

Russia plans to emerge as an exporter of hydrogen within the space of a few years and supply as much as 12mn tonnes per year (tpy) of the fuel by 2035, under a draft development plan approved in August.

The country is eager to carve out a role for itself in the energy transition taking shape in Europe and Asia, and sees an opportunity for converting some of its vast natural gas reserves into low-carbon hydrogen. Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak estimated in June that Russia could occupy a 20% share of the global hydrogen market.

Its development plan gives wildly contrasting projections for exactly how much hydrogen Russia will be shipping overseas, however. In a low-case scenario, the country could be exporting only 2mn tpy of hydrogen by 2035, rising to 15mn tpy in 2050. In contrast, the high-end scenario puts supply at 12mn tpy by 2035 and 50mn tpy by 2050.

In July, the government formed a working group of companies, research institutes and federal agencies to develop hydrogen technologies, production and trade. Among its members are state nuclear firm Rosatom, oil and gas producers Rosneft, Gazprom, Gazprom Neft and Novatek, petrochemicals firm Sibur, vehicle manufacturer Kamaz, investment group Sistema and state tech groups Rostec and Rusnano. It is chaired by Novak, Russia’s former energy minister who now oversees energy policy from the prime minister’s office.

The development plan envisages three stages for the scaling-up of Russian hydrogen. The first stage, spanning from 2021 to 2024, will aim to establish pilot clusters for hydrogen production and implement pilot projects to export up to 200,000 tpy by 2024. The clusters are expected to be established in north-west and south-west Russia, the Far East and the Arctic.

The second stage will run from 2025 until 2035, and will see the first commercial hydrogen projects come online. It will also focus on the widespread adoption of hydrogen technologies in various sectors of the domestic economy, from petrochemistry to housing and utilities. The third stage, lasting until 2050, could see a significant upscaling on Russia’s hydrogen strategy, assuming a significant expansion in demand for the fuel globally, as some forecasters predict.

Russia envisages producing a wide variety of different hydrogen types, although its primary focus will be blue and turquoise hydrogen, derived from natural gas.

Gazprom is advocating for turquoise hydrogen, produced from a technique known as methane pyrolysis. The little-used process also produces solid carbon as a by-product, which has useful applications in industry and does not have to be placed in storage like CO2. Other oil and gas companies are looking at blue hydrogen, also produced from natural gas via reforming, but requiring carbon capture and storage (CCS) to make it clean.

Russia also has green hydrogen ambitions, although the country’s wind and solar sectors are still at a nascent stage of development and would have to be upscaled. And even then, it would make more sense for renewables to be used to decarbonise the Russian power grid rather than for producing hydrogen.

Yellow hydrogen is another option. Like green hydrogen, it is produced from water via electrolysis. But unlike the case with green, the electrolysers used to produce yellow are powered by nuclear energy.