Paul Rodden • Season: 2024 • Episode: 364
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Welcome to The Hydrogen Podcast!
Episode 364, In this episode, Paul discusses new advancements in converting waste into green hydrogen, exploring how catalysts can transform materials like plastic into valuable fuel. He also examines what a second Trump term could mean for the future of hydrogen in the U.S. and globally, including potential shifts in hydrogen policy and infrastructure investment.
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Transcript:
New innovations are providing even more solutions to waste to hydrogen production and transportation, and as the world now knows, the United States has a new president. What does a second Trump term mean to the future of hydrogen here in the United States and abroad? I’ll go over this news and give my thoughts on today’s hydrogen podcast.
So the big questions in the energy industry today are, how is hydrogen the primary driving force behind the evolution of energy? Where is capital being deployed for hydrogen projects globally, and where are the best investment opportunities for early adopters who recognize the importance of hydrogen? I will address the critical issues and give you the information you need to deploy capital. Those are the questions that will unlock the potential of hydrogen, and this podcast will give you the answers. My name is Paul Rodden, and welcome to the hydrogen podcast.
In an article from interesting engineering Kapil Kajal writes from trash to fuel US Scientist unlocks green hydrogen potential in plastic bottles. Kapil writes, micro plastics, plastics smaller than 5 millimeters, are littered worldwide, contributing to global warming, disrupting food chains, and harming ecosystems with toxic chemicals.
This is why Dr. Manish Shetty, an Assistant Professor of Chemical Engineering at Texas A&M University, is working to break down plastics before they enter the environment.
Creating sustainable chemicals and developing better waste management will contribute to better sustainability.
This research is part of figuring out how to make green hydrogen available for waste management using catalysts.
Shetty’s research uses low-amount solvents acting as hydrogen sources to break down a specific class of plastics called condensation polymers, including polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottles, packaging, textiles, and 3D printing.
“What we have done in this research is to break down condensation polymers to aromatic compounds that can be used as fuels,” Shetty said.
“We use organic compounds called liquid organic hydrogen carriers to store hydrogen and use that hydrogen to break down the polymers.”
Shetty and his team designed catalysts to harness the stored hydrogen after breaking these condensation polymers, as outlined in Shetty’s recent paper published in Angewandte Chemie International Edition.
the research shows how catalyst surfaces use hydrogen left over from these organic carriers to transform pet into P xylene, a molecule that can be used for fuels or chemicals. Shetty said his research offers a waste-management solution and is crucial for the chemical industry’s sustainability.
“We have developed a solution for sustainability and waste management on these catalysts,” Shetty said.
“These organic molecules transport this hydrogen from where it’s generated to where it’s used for waste management, especially in an urban environment where we collect a lot of these wastes.”
According to the paper, the research approach uses methanol to break down PET into smaller fragments and an H2 source to form p-xylene from PET, a potential chemical or fuel.
Shetty believes that applying this research could change our economy from relying on fossil fuels.
“One of the things that might happen is, as hydrogen becomes more available, especially for green hydrogen, which is through water electrolysis, we need the hydrogen carriers as a transport vector,” Shetty said.
“One such use would be waste management and valorization.”
Researchers worldwide have already developed ways to turn waste materials into green hydrogen.
Hyundai recently started testing domestic fuel production using biogas from food scraps.
The step is claimed to be part of Hyundai’s long-term vision of developing a sustainable energy future based on gas.
Hyundai has also unveiled its organic and plastic waste in H2-turning facilities. Together, these plants will produce more than 30,000 tons of hydrogen annually, making them the world’s largest facility in their field.
Reseachers at the University of Illinois Chicago (UIC) have developed a procedure to make hydrogen gas from water using only solar power and agricultural waste, such as manure or husks.
According to the team, by reducing the energy required to extract hydrogen from water by 600 percent, the technique opens up new possibilities for creating environmentally friendly, sustainable chemicals.
Okay, so let’s talk a little bit more about catalysts and how they play a crucial role in making green hydrogen production more efficient and viable in waste management. Now, here’s how catalysts are integrated into the process. Now the first part is catalytic pyrolysis and gasification. Now, in these methods, waste, like plastic in this article, and also biomass or municipal waste, is heated in the presence of catalysts to produce Syn-Gas. now that’s a mixture of hydrogen, carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide.
Now that we also have nickel based catalysts, which are commonly used as they enhance the breakdown of hydrocarbons in the waste, increasing hydrogen yield while minimizing unwanted byproducts, we also have metal organic frameworks, or MOFs, which are emerging now as highly effective in breaking down plastics into hydrogen and other valuable chemicals. Now, MOFs are tunable and provide a high surface area for reactions. Now another way we can think about catalysts is with photocatalysis. Now we know photocatalysis from what we’ve covered with CCG plasmonics. So photo catalysts like titanium dioxide, well, it enables the direct conversion of organic matter and wastewater into hydrogen using sunlight.
Now, when they’re exposed to light, these catalysts generate electrons that split water molecules into hydrogen and oxygen, offering a sustainable method to utilize organic waste. And another way to think about catalysts is non thermal plasma. Now, non thermal plasma, which combined with catalytic systems, provides a low temperature method for converting solid waste into hydrogen plasma, generates highly reactive species that with catalysts like zeolites or alumina based compounds enhance the breakdown of waste materials into hydrogen and other valuable gasses.
And now what we’re really talking about here is waste to hydrogen. Now we’ve covered some waste to hydrogen stuff when we’ve talked about Raven Sr, but what are those benefits that we can really look at with waste to hydrogen? Now the first one is higher efficiency, and that means these catalysts are going to reduce the energy required for reactions making the process is more energy efficient. They also lower carbon emissions. Catalytic processes optimize the conversion of waste to hydrogen, which will reduce your CO two and methane emissions compared to traditional waste disposal methods. They are also economically viable, and so by increasing hydrogen yields and enabling the use of diverse waste streams, catalysts make waste to hydrogen processes economically competitive. But what are the challenges associated with waste to hydrogen now? The first one is going to be the cost of the catalyst. Some advanced catalysts, like MOS, can be expensive to produce, though, efforts are ongoing to develop cheaper alternatives. Now you’re going to get cheaper alternatives through R and D. You’ll also get cheaper alternatives through economies of scale.
That is, if the waste of hydrogen through catalysts is something that can be scaled and to do so that requires robust catalyst that can withstand continuous operation without degradation over time. Now, usually this is where I sign off, but before I sign off today, I would be remiss not to discuss in some way, shape or form, the political shift we’ve just had in the US. Donald Trump is now the president elect. So what does that mean for the hydrogen economy, both here in the US and abroad? Well, the truth is, it’s not all doom and gloom. Hydrogen can still thrive, and I believe will still thrive, because first, let’s remember that hydrogen isn’t just a climate solution, it’s an energy strategy, and focus on that across the political spectrum, hydrogen has earned support for its role in energy independence and industrial growth. So whether it’s powering heavy industries like steel and cement or fueling clean transportation, hydrogen remains a critical piece of the puzzle, and even under a more hydrocarbon friendly administration, hydrogens versatility means it aligns with multiple priorities.
It aligns with jobs. Hydrogen hubs brings high paying jobs to regions across the US, especially in areas hard hit by the decline of coal and oil. Many of these hubs are in Republican led states, which could ensure continued investment. We also need to think about energy security. Domestic hydrogen production reduces reliance on foreign energy and builds resiliency in the energy grid. And let’s also remember the oil and gas integration Trump may push for blue hydrogen, which is okay, produced from natural gas and has carbon capture. And keep in mind that will both satisfy the economic and environmental goals by utilizing hydrocarbons in a cleaner way. And Let’s also not forget that the momentum has already been built and is continuing to go forward, the inflation Reduction Act provided billions in tax credits for clean hydrogen production, and despite Trump’s criticism, repealing those incentives won’t be easy.
They’ve already catalyzed massive private investment, much of it in GOP districts, and we also have groups like the American Petroleum Institute or the API. which has backed hydrogen as a tool to modernize hydrocarbon infrastructure, this kind of industry support is unlikely to waver, even under a Trump administration. So we can still look ahead. We can still keep our eyes up. The hydrogen economy is resilient no matter who is in the White House. Its economic and its strategic value ensures it will remain a priority. Trump may change the focus, but hydrogens role in energy security and industrial innovation will keep it growing.
All right, that’s it for me, everyone. If you have a second, I would really appreciate it. If you could leave a good review on whatever platform it is that you listen to Apple podcasts, Spotify, Google, YouTube, whatever it is, that would be a tremendous help to the show. And as always, if you ever have any feedback, you’re welcome to email me directly at info@thehydrogenpodcast.com. So until next time, keep your eyes up and honor one another. Hey, this is Paul. I hope you liked this podcast. If you did and want to hear more. I’d appreciate it if you would either subscribe to this channel on YouTube, or connect with your favorite platform through my website at www.thehydrogenpodcast.com. Thanks for listening. I very much appreciate it. Have a great day.
