Superhydrogen Project

In the race to cut emissions of greenhouse gases, H2-powered fuel cells are expected to make a significant contribution. One of the main challenges, however, is to produce H2 from renewable energy sources in a cost-effective manner.

Superhydrogen, a project targeting the production of H2 from biomass and waste using supercritical water gasification, is an example of this effort. The University of Warwick, a member of the Superhydrogen consortium, experimented with catalytic membranes made from palladium.

Using advanced techniques, the British engineers managed to deposit an extremely thin, uniform layer of palladium on a porous ceramic substrate. Remarkably, they were able to achieve thicknesses in the order of just 3-10 microns without rupturing the membrane.

Laboratory tests of the prototype indicated excellent performance characteristics with respect to H2 production rates and purities. The economics of the technology also proved attractive. The final hurdle prior to proceeding with commercialisation entails demonstrating the reliability of the membrane production process.

(Source ResearchEU)

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