How the catalyst works. Credit: University of Melbourne
A radical new process that allows hydrogen to be efficiently sourced from liquid formic acid could be one step forward in making the dream of hydrogen-powered cars an economic reality. Using formic acid to produce hydrogen has never been considered viable because it requires high temperatures to decompose and also produces waste by-products. But the Uni of Melbourne’s Professor Richard O’Hair has led an international team of scientists in designing a molecular catalyst that forces formic acid to produce only H2 and CO2 and at a low temperature of only 70°C.
It marks a new frontier in catalyst design at the molecular level. While the study successfully produces hydrogen and CO2, the ultimate aim will be to ensure any derivative source of hydrogen produces zero emissions. Using a suite of powerful gas-phase techniques, the team designed a series of silver complexes and examined their reactions with formic acid. The team was able to identify the exact catalyst that would effectively manipulate a strict hydrogen/carbon dioxide-only production.
Mr Athanasios Zavras, PhD student said: “I prepared solutions containing well-defined amounts of the same silver, salt and ligand combination and these were studied with a NMR that allowed us to incrementally increase the temperature from 25°C and track the formation of products. “There was no reaction for a while, but we persevered and at 70°C, we unequivocally identified the production of hydrogen gas and carbon dioxide.
One of the major challenges as the world moves towards hydrogen power is the lack of refueling infrastructure, but which the researchers say could easily be overcome if one day the industry moves to using liquid formic acid. But while the new catalyst design is an important step forward in addressing our hydrogen energy needs, there are still many barriers to overcome, eg the production of CO2 and how it could potentially be recycled to regenerate formic acid. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2016-06/uom-nmd060616.php
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