Hydrogen production by means of energy-storing substances.
Solution of the energy problem of Ukraine

Kinetic curves of hydrogen evolution from water at zinc modified with antimony and activated with bismuth (5 wt %)

Applications.

Metallic zinc based energy-storing substances, which show a high reactivity to water and extract hydrogen from water, have been developed at the Institute of General and Inorganic Chemistry of the Ukrainian NAS in accordance with a research program within the framework of the project “Development of highly efficient processes for hydrogen production from water by means of nanostructured energy-storing substances using activated zinc, manganese, aluminum, bismuth, iron and other components with recovery of wastes (oxides) by the carbothermal method” of the comprehensive special-purpose research program of the Ukrainian NAS “Hydrogen in Alternative Power Engineering and Novel Technologies”.

Brief description

Novel metallic zinc based energy-storing substances have been developed, which show a high reactivity to water and extract hydrogen from water.

Expected properties

The rate of hydrogen evolution from water in a reactor with an active surface area of the energy-storing substances of 1 m² is 2.0 m³ of H₂/min, 120 m3 of H₂/h, 2880 m³ of H₂/day, 86400 m³ of H₂/month and 101200 m³ of H₂/year. That is the power installation will evolve 1051200 m³ of hydrogen within a year.

Advantages

Calculations showed that the power installation with an active surface area of the energy-storing substances of 1 m² will evolve 1051200 m³ of hydrogen within a year. If we take into account that hydrogen has a 2.569 times higher energy content than natural gas, we shall obtain the equivalent amount of natural gas: 2700532.8 m³ of natural gas. If we take in calculations the cost of 1000 m3 of natural gas in the gas market to be $430, we shall obtain $1161229.1 per year. If 1000 reactors for hydrogen production are manufactured, then our country can be fully provided with energy and abandon the use of natural gas entirely.

Competitors

There are no analogs of this technology now in the world.

State of development

A composition of zinc-based energy-storing substances has been developed, which makes it possible to produce 1051200 m3 of H₂/year.
Reactors for hydrogen production from water using energy-storing substances are being developed. The study on the carbothermal recovery of used zinc (zinc oxide) to the initial state, which will make it possible to use zinc in a closed cycle, has been completed.

Intellectual property

The results of this research work are the property of the V.I.Vernadskii Institute of General and Inorganic Chemistry of the Ukrainian NAS.

Contact information

Executing : Institute of General and Inorganic Chemistry.

Project №1«Development of high performance processes for producing hydrogen from water using nanostructured energy accumulating substances using activated zinc, manganese, aluminum, bismuth, iron and other components with the recovery of waste by thermal oxide carbonate»

Project leader: Academician Volkov Sergey V.	Contact person: Professor Kozin Leonid H.
Е-mail: volkov@ionc.kiev.ua	Е-mail:kozin@ionc.kiev.ua

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