MAI developed effective method of hydrogen fuel production

Scientists all over the globe have been struggling with the task of reducing the use of fossil hydrocarbon fuels and solving the problem of atmospheric pollution for decades. In this regard, one of the issues of alternative energy is the production of environmentally friendly fuel based on hydrogen.Scientists of the MAI Department 908 “Physical Chemistry” have developed an innovative method of hydrogen production. It might improve the efficiency and safety of hydrogen engines. This fuel might be potentially used for internal combustion engines running on hydrogen. For road transport, particularly.The synthesis of the product takes place in a plasma discharge under the impact of ultrasound. In addition to hydrogen, the resulting gas contains only safe impurities of carbon dioxide (CO2) and water vapor. The starting materials for this process can be both liquid hydrocarbons and mixtures of organic compounds of various compositions.– There are industrial methods for producing hydrogen, for example, steam conversion of methane and electrolysis. However, they require cumbersome and expensive equipment, as well as special preparation of starting materials, – says Nikolay Bulychev, Doctor of Chemical Sciences, head of the MAI Department 908 “Physical Chemistry”, who is in charge of this work.

Experimental plantThe significant advantage of the developed method from the point of view of ecology is the absence of toxic and difficult-to-process by-products. Safety is also due to the fact that the gas mixture exits the reactor at low pressure. During the implementation of this method, it is additionally possible to use a wide range of cheap starting materials, including difficult-to-recycle water-organic mixtures and emulsions, including industrial waste from chemical industries.– The fundamental research was carried out, creating the scientific and technical basis for the future large-scale introduction of hydrogen engines, contributing to the development of approaches to the creation of multifunctional environmentally friendly vehicles. The widespread introduction of hydrogen-powered technology will help improve the ecology in megacities and preserve the climate from change. For such engines, it is possible to use cheap fuel and waste from the chemical industry, which can be converted into hydrogen right on board, – the scientist says.