Hydrofuel Canada Inc. has signed a two-year deal with the University of Toronto (UofT) worth $1m to pioneer a golden hydrogen production process.
The company funding will finance an “Opto-Chemical Engineering of High Efficiency and Low-Cost Photocatalysts and Photoreactors for Photoreforming Hydrogen Carriers” Licensing and Cooperation Agreement with UofT’s Solar Fuels Group (SFG).
The project will optimise a novel process that employs light to convert hydrogen carriers into low-cost golden hydrogen and other products.
Funding will enable SFG to retain six Post Doctoral and Doctoral candidates to advance their revolutionary research into determining the best photocatalysts and photoreactors for photo-reforming a range of hydrogen carriers to golden hydrogen.
What are the benefits of golden hydrogen production?
Hydrogen is the only clean, burning, non-toxic fuel, as its only by-product is water. Hydrogen fuel has a vast range of uses, such as in zero emission transportation, electricity production, industrial processes, and providing net zero energy to businesses.
However, hydrogen does face challenges. This is because transporting and storing hydrogen in its liquid or gaseous form can cause technological, economic, and safety issues.
Nevertheless, these difficulties can be overcome by utilising small molecule hydrogen carriers, such as methane, ammonia, and water.
Converting these molecules to hydrogen requires energy to power the conversion process. However, this is mainly sourced from fossil fuel-powered heat or electricity, which makes this hydrogen production process far from sustainable.
The Hydrofuel and SFG will revolutionise this process by using light as the sole energy source instead of non-renewable sources, resulting in golden hydrogen production.
SFG technology will be paramount to the project’s success
The aim of the project is to advance photocatalysts and photoreactors with the highest efficiency and lowest cost, scalability, and durability for photo-reforming hydrogen carriers to golden hydrogen.
SFG’s research on opto-chemically engineered photocatalysts and photoreactors will be essential, with six patents already filed for opto-chemical engineering technologies, including:
- Photochemical reforming of hydrogen vectors;
- Single-atom photochemical reforming of hydrogen vectors;
- Photochemical reverse Boudouard process;
- Photochemical reforming of ethane to ethene and hydrogen;
- Photo-reforming of hydrogen carrier polymers; and
- Single-atom photochemical reforming of polymers.
If successful, the golden hydrogen production process will establish a fully-sustainable energy source globally.
