Blending green hydrogen into existing natural gas infrastructure has national benefits for energy storage, resiliency & emissions reductions. But if you actually need to separate the gases again at the end-user's site, this can be expensive. Researchers all over the globe are racing to find a solution. The Fraunhofer Institute has recently announced the development of a membrane & filtration process which can separate the hydrogen out at a 90% purity level - suitable for steel making. Not commercial or even scaled yet, but potentially a front-runner in the race to find a solution. https://innovationorigins.com/green-hydrogen-and-natural-gas-via-the-same-gas-network/
Iron powder burns readily at high temperatures releasing energy as it oxidizes. This energy can be used to produce steam used in industrial processes or to produce electricity. The burning process emits no carbon, just easily collectable rust. This rust can then be turned back into iron powder with an electrical current (produced from wind or solar) and burnt again. Producing a zero carbon power generation process. Swinkels Family Brewers in the Netherlands has become the first business in the world to put this process to work at an industrial scale. https://newatlas.com/energy/bavarian-brewery-carbon-free-renewable-iron-fuel/
Direct Air Capture (DAC) units suck in air, extract CO2 & then store it underground or make it available for other uses (greenhouses, algae farms, concrete production). Stripping CO2 from air can be energy-intensive, reducing the overall benefit. But Southern Green Gas (SGG), an Australian company, is trialling a new solar-powered DAC technology.The SGG DACs are small (about the size of 2 household fridges), so can be set up in an array much like a solar farm. With the added benefit of local manufacturing & creating globally tradeable negative emissions certificates - this is one worth watching.https://www.southerngreengas.com.au/negative-emissions.html
Carbon dioxide (CO2) and carbon monoxide (CO) make up a large proportion of industrial flue gases. Recent research has shown that certain microorganisms are capable of metabolizing these gases into useful by-products, turning the emissions into a useful feedstock, not a waste product.This article in ScienceDaily discusses new research into a bioelectrosynthetic process in which electroactive bacteria convert CO/CO2 into useful metabolites like acetate and volatile fatty acids. Furthermore this new research may deliver a commercially viable Carbon Capture and Utilisation (CCU) option within 5 years. https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/02/210217175151.htm
Current methods for seawater electrolysis involve a complex set of steps, high temperatures and lots of energy - which all drive up costs. This latest research uses a different catalytic process, one which not only involves a single step process but can also occur at room temperature. Thus reducing the traditional time, cost and energy involved in producing hydrogen from seawater.https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/01/210128134733.htm
Splitting water molecules into oxygen & hydrogen has long been done by electrolysis. However, industrial electrolyzers are energy-intensive. So, inspired by photosynthesis, researchers have developed specially engineered electrodes that split water molecules when directly under the sun's light. This is a process known as photocatalysis.https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/01/210121131752.htm
