2024 AIChE Annual Meeting
Development of Safe, Efficient, and Cost-Effective Solid State Hydrogen Storage
The demand for alternatives to fossil fuels is rapidly growing due to the production of greenhouse gas emissions and the progression of climate change. Using hydrogen as an energy source is cleaner for the environment than hydrocarbon-based systems. Sodium borohydride (SBH, NaBH4) has been attracting great attention as a hydrogen storage material because of its relatively high hydrogen storage capacity and low cost compared to other materials. Also, this hydride produces hydrogen, but it does not release harmful byproducts into the environment. Here, our research group proposed the solid-state hydrolysis of SBH and water formed by thermal dehydration of sodium metaborate tetrahydrate. This approach offers a higher H2 yield compared to conventional hydrolysis reactions based on the amount of the sample. In addition, this approach operates at much lower temperatures and pressures to offer improved safety. In the present work, we aim to develop a storage that can safely and efficiently produce hydrogen on site. This hydrogen storage equipped with a fuel cell can be used for a variety of applications, such as unmanned and small-sized motorized vehicles, military devices and equipment, and emergency energy storage.