Fueling the Future: Unlocking Low-Cost Green Hydrogen

A commercially viable transition to green hydrogen – the environmentally friendly version of the fuel – is not currently possible for one simple reason: cost. Despite ongoing advancements in current processing techniques like electrolysis, achieving low-cost hydrogen remains out of reach. Researchers are now increasingly looking beyond electrolysis to advance cost-competitive green hydrogen. 

Some recent innovations employing aluminum, one of the most abundant minerals in the Earth’s crust, are showing great promise. As an example, David Sattler, who has more than 30 years of experience working in thermodynamics and heat transfer, and his colleague Robert Fullop have developed a process that utilizes only aluminum, water, and a reusable catalyst to produce green hydrogen. 

When using pure aluminum in the mixture, the three ingredients immediately start a chemical reaction that produces four commercially desirable byproducts: 99.9% pure hydrogen, oxygen, heavy water – which can be used for fertilizer production, and alumina. The catalyst is proprietary but is not consumed in the process. 

“Using aluminum to create hydrogen actually dates back to at least World War II when it was produced on the battlefields and used as a weapon,” explains Sattler, who also founded Marstecs – a space technology company focused on solving energy challenges to advance space tourism, interplanetary travel, and sustaining life on other celestial bodies. “The key was to find a way to make it stable and safe, which we have done.” 

Marstecs’ thermochemical green hydrogen process can also produce fuel when using recycled aluminum. The result is an output of 60% hydrogen. Both the clean and recycled processes require no electricity and can utilize purified water as well as water sourced directly from oceans, rivers, lakes or grey wastewater to produce hydrogen. 

“We are able to produce a kilogram of hydrogen right now for about $7,” adds Sattler. “That puts it on par with other types of fuel currently on the market today.” 

Hydrogen, the most abundant element in the universe, is an incredibly efficient form of energy that produces zero emissions when burned. Yet, corporations, investors, and even many governments are hesitant to heavily fund technologies that are not cost-competitive with existing alternatives.

If its costs can be significantly reduced, its impact could be felt immediately. This could include co-fired coal power generation plants as well as within today’s internal combustion engines (ICE). Like using ethanol as an additive, low-cost green hydrogen can be added to ICE models to boost efficiency and reduce emissions. This would enable a smooth transition to full hydrogen production.

Green hydrogen would also be used in large-scale operations like power generation plants, replacing carbon-based fuels. 

With the Infrastructure Act of 2021, the U.S. Congress appropriated $8 billion to support hydrogen projects, signaling a commitment to a hydrogen-powered future and its intention to lead the world in the transition. The challenge now is to improve hydrogen processing techniques to drive down costs. 

Marstecs | https://marstecs.com/