Santa Cruz: University of California researchers have discovered a new way to produce hydrogen by developing a special Aluminum composite that reacts with water at room temperature. Aluminum is a reactive material that anyway splits oxygen away from water molecules, leaving hydrogen gas behind.Also Read - BEST Going Green: Mumbai All Set To Roll Out First Green Hydrogen Buses

According to Santa Cruz Works, the distinctive aluminum nanoparticles combine with water to make hydrogen at room temperature. Due to its strong reactivity, aluminum can produce hydrogen gas by absorbing oxygen from water molecules. Due to aluminum’s quick reaction with air and formation of an aluminum oxide layer that prevents additional reactions, it is frequently used in devices that come into contact with water without causing any risk. Also Read - Nitin Gadkari Makes This Big Claim About Electric Buses

Scientists have been studying the reactivity of aluminum for years to develop efficient and economical ways to produce a clean hydrogen fuel. Also Read - IIT-Guwahati Develops Bio-Electrochemical Device To Generate Green Energy By Treating Wastewater | Here’s How

In the new research, the aluminum nanoparticles are produced by an inexpensive alloy of gallium and aluminum that reacts quickly with water at ambient temperature to release significant amounts of hydrogen.

After the reaction, which gives 90 per cent of the hydrogen that might have theoretically been produced from the reaction of all the aluminum in the composite, gallium is still easily recovered for further use from the reaction, according to the study.

Scott Oliver, a chemistry professor from University of Columbia Santa Cruz said, “We don’t need any energy input, and it bubbles hydrogen like crazy. I’ve never seen anything like it.”

The fact that this aluminum-gallium mixture produces hydrogen has been known for decades. But what the UCSC team found was that increasing the concentration of gallium in the composite also increased the production of hydrogen.

“Our method uses a small amount of aluminum, which ensures it all dissolves into the majority gallium as discrete nanoparticles,” Oliver said. The composite can be made with easily accessible aluminum sources like foil or cans.

The downside is that gallium is relatively expensive, although it can be recovered in this process and reused multiple times. Another downside is that there is still no widespread uptake of hydrogen fuel cells. While it is possible to burn hydrogen directly as a fuel, it can be hazardous, and tanks often must be highly pressurized to contain useful amounts of it.

Hydrogen is not an energy source, it is a means of transporting energy. However, it is rarely found by itself in nature and must be produced from substances that contain it. This particle can store and distribute useable energy. However, none of the materials used in these production methods are renewable: they typically use coal, natural gas, or oil.

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Published Date: September 1, 2022 4:52 PM IST

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