This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies. Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility:

A study published in the journal Nature Communications presents an advance in hydrogen production: a green, cost-effective process that generates hydrogen while simultaneously producing valuable chemicals for industry. The research was led by Avner Rothschild, a faculty member in the Technion Faculty of Materials Science and Engineering and head of the Technion Sustainability Frontier, together with postdoctoral researcher Dr. Guilin Ruan. A U.S. patent application has been filed for the technology.

Green hydrogen is widely regarded as one of the most important energy sources of the future. It is produced by splitting water using electricity generated from renewable sources and is expected to play a key role in reducing greenhouse gas emissions in industries that are difficult to electrify directly, such as steel and fertilizer production, petroleum refining and the production of alternative transportation fuels. Green hydrogen may also support the long-term storage of solar and wind energy.

However, its industrial adoption remains limited because it is more expensive than hydrogen produced from natural gas or coal—processes responsible for approximately 2% of global carbon dioxide emissions.

"We approached this challenge by rethinking the water-splitting process," explained Rothschild. "Our goal was to replace the oxygen normally produced alongside hydrogen with another product of much higher value—an epoxide. Epoxides are essential building blocks in the production of polymers, coatings, adhesives, pharmaceuticals and many other products. In the experiments presented in our paper, we demonstrate 98% efficiency both in hydrogen generation and in the parallel reaction that produces the epoxide.

Source link