Hydrogen has plenty of promise that has been largely negated by what TechCrunch characterizes as not “much luck.”
But the alternative fuel source’s fortunes may be changing thanks in part to a new processing technique being developed by Ithaca, New York’s Ecolectro.
The company’s experts have invented an electrolyzer that splits hydrogen from water molecules with a setup that fits into a shipping container. It’s being billed as a less costly and cleaner alternative to other processes. And the breakthrough could position hydrogen as a crucial, sustainable fuel source, according to TechCrunch.
Ecolectro listed heating, aviation fuel, fertilizers, and even energy storage as uses for the hydrogen it plans to produce. Other hydrogen champions have been touting similar benefits, with planes and boats among the tech that could soon be powered by the gas. In fact, a ferry energized by the fuel has already been operating on the San Francisco Bay.
Ecolectro’s shipping container-based system is designed to be a cost-saver in part because it can take hydrogen production to locations where it’s needed, negating the hassle of transporting and storing the gas.
“We are very interested in figuring out who’s trucking in hydrogen today. You’re mitigating a lot of risk around logistics of transportation,” CEO Gabriel Rodriguez-Calero told TechCrunch.
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His electrolyzers use the best aspects of two methods: proton-exchange membrane and alkaline electrolysis. The innovation doesn’t include troublesome PFAS, or forever chemicals, as do others. By using nickel as a catalyst in the process instead of iridium or platinum, the experts maintained efficiency while reducing costs, per TechCrunch.
Electrolysis is the cleanest way to produce so-called green hydrogen, when renewable energy provides the electricity for the molecule-splitting process. But most hydrogen is made with a reforming method involving dirty energy, all according to U.S. government information.
The tie to fossil fuels, and harmful nitrogen oxide pollution, are barbs cited by the Sierra Club in a fact sheet about the gas. However, hydrogen leaves only heat and water vapor when used in a fuel cell, per the environmental watchdog.
If cleanly made and used, hydrogen could replace dirty fuels in multiple industries, nixing loads of heat-trapping air pollution that is being inhaled by 99% of the planet’s population, the World Health Organization reported. The agency’s experts listed increased risks for respiratory and other diseases, along with death, as concerns from breathing in the abundant pollution.
So far, Ecolectro has built an electrolyzer capable of making about 11 pounds of hydrogen per day. A larger version able to create more than 275 pounds daily is planned to be ready early next year. The work is being funded by a $10.5 million investment round, all per TechCrunch.
And while his product is smaller than other setups, Rodriguez-Calero thinks the size is a benefit.
“That size is very attractive for the people who order one truck of hydrogen per week,” he told the online publication.
In the United States, hydrogen is mostly used to refine petroleum, treat metals, and make fertilizers and chemicals, according to the government. But if its uses expand, you could one day be riding in a plane powered by it.
In the meantime, there are plenty of opportunities around the house to more smartly use and save energy. Switching to an induction cooktop, for example, can speed up your meal prep and prevent pollution to boot.
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