Low-cost Israeli method of producing green hydrogen is a game changer.
In a significant step towards combating climate change, researchers from Tel Aviv University achieved a major breakthrough in the production of “green” hydrogen. Their method not only sidesteps air pollution but also offers a high level of efficiency.
Hydrogen is an essential raw material for both agriculture and industry, with the potential to dramatically cut down carbon dioxide emissions. The production and combustion of hydrogen do not emit polluting gasses, and hydrogen can also be transformed into electricity or synthetic gas. “Green” hydrogen refers to hydrogen that is obtained without generating pollutant emissions.
The new method was developed by doctoral student Itzhak Grinberg and Dr Oren Ben-Zvi under the guidance of Professors Iftach Yacoby and Lihi Adler-Abramovich. Their findings were published earlier in July in the peer-reviewed journal, Carbon Energy.
Currently, “green” hydrogen is primarily produced by passing an electric current through water molecules to separate the hydrogen and oxygen atoms. According to Ben-Zvi, this electrolysis method “requires precious and rare metals such as platinum along with water distillation.”
That’s “15 times more expensive” than “grey hydrogen,” which refers to hydrogen extracted from natural gas, methane or other fossil fuels. Efforts to fight climate change are moving away from “grey hydrogen” because its production releases significant amounts of carbon gas that cannot be captured.
Instead of applying electrolysis to water, the researchers instead turned to enzymes.
Low-cost Israeli method of producing ‘green’ hydrogen is a game changer, July 19, 2023
