Consumption of fossil fuels for energy purposes increases the amount of greenhouse gasses emitted, having a negative impact on sustainability. As such governments are looking towards green hydrogen which is considered an ideal and sustainable energy carrier able to deliver or store a tremendous amount of energy.

This green hydrogen can be produced, among other methods, from water and/or hydrogen sulfide photocatalysis utilizing solar energy without any greenhouse gas emissions. Research and Innovation Center on C02 and Hydrogen (RICH Center) developed a novel approach for efficient photocatalysts for hydrogen production.

Producing green hydrogen efficiently

The challenge is that while hydrogen is abundant on Earth, it is bound in water, hydrocarbons, and other organic matter, making the efficient extraction of that hydrogen difficult.
That is why the research carried out by Khalifa University’s Research and Innovation Center on C02 and Hydrogen (RICH Center) developed a novel approach for efficient photocatalysts for hydrogen production.

The research entitled, «Identifying the Best Photocatalysts for Green Hydrogen Production Using Computational Screening» with Prof. Lourdes Vega, Director of RICH, Dr. Mutasem Sinnokrot, Dr. Daniel Bahamon, and Ph.D. student Yuting Li published in npj Computational Materials (a Nature journal) identified four promising novel co-catalysts with very good performance to be further explored in experimental studies.

In summary, the RICH team focused on green hydrogen production, using renewable energy sources to split water or hydrogen sulfide, which is abundant in the UAE from natural gas processing. The splitting process used solar energy and semiconductors for photocatalysis and operated at room temperature and ambient pressure, simplifying the equipment needs.
As per Prof Lourdes Vega, low carbon hydrogen production and utilization has been identified by experts and intergovernmental agencies such as the International Energy Agency (IEA) and the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) as one of the key technologies to achieve net zero emissions, because of its potential contributions to clean energy and sustainable fuels.

Read more at: https://issuu.com/moeuae/docs/innovation_uae_magazine_i7_english?fr=xKAE9_zU1NQ from page 11