GREEN HYDROGEN: Research increases fuel efficiency by 50%

Professor and expert in chemical engineering José Joaquín Linares explains the difference in the production process for green hydrogen. “First, you need to produce the hydrogen through the electrolysis of water, which is an energy-intensive process. This energy will be provided by a renewable source. So, in short, green hydrogen would be the sum of these two elements: electronic hydrogen plus renewable sources,” he explains.

There are already several technologies for obtaining clean fuel. However, H2V production is still not competitive. One of the main challenges to make it commercially viable is to find a material that acts efficiently in the water electrolysis process.

It was precisely in this sense that the researchers were successful. The group developed a strategy to optimize one of the most used materials in the process, hematite, an iron oxide that is very abundant on Earth. The optimized material generated an electrical current 6.7 times greater than that of conventional hematite.

According to the specialist in chemical engineering, currently the contribution of hydrogen in the global energy matrix is ​​still small. “Practically all the hydrogen produced is used for chemical purposes in industrial processes, such as petroleum refining, in the production of fertilizers, in steel mills and in the chemical industry”, he points out.

But projections by the International Renewable Energy Agency (Irena) indicate that the sector will produce 409 million tons per year in 2050, which will respond, in the entity’s calculations, to 12% of global energy demand.

Brazil is making efforts to enter the global H2V production map. Last week (12), a special commission was set up to debate public policies on green hydrogen. For two years, the group will debate and evaluate public policies on clean energy generation technology.

The group, made up of six senators, will be chaired by Cid Gomes (PDT-CE) and will have Otto Alencar (PSD-BA) as rapporteur. During the installation of the commission, Senator Cid Gomes highlighted the need to create a legal framework on technology to bring security to potential investors.

“The business model and results motivate the maintenance of a debate in the National Congress that relates Brazil’s development mode to global concerns, not only regarding access to energy sources, but also regarding climate change and its harmful impacts. for the environmental balance of the planet”, he said.

For the director of the Hidrogênio Verde project in Brazil (H2Brasil), which is part of the Brazil-Germany Cooperation for Sustainable Development, Monica Saraiva, technology can generate many jobs for the country.

“Brazil has a very important role, including at a global level, in the production, local use and export of green hydrogen and it can indeed become an active player, including adding value in the global hydrogen sector. It is a chain that involves component manufacturers, service providers from all sectors of the economy, small, medium and large companies. So, the job creation potential of this sector is fantastic”, he says.

The commission was created in March of this year by the president of the Senate, Rodrigo Pacheco (PSD), with the aim of encouraging the use of green hydrogen as a source of energy in the country. “It is necessary to evaluate public policies and prioritize the proposals being processed in the National Congress on the subject”, he defends.