2019-03-07 11:37:19
Hydrogen is the lightest and most abundant chemical element in the Universe. Stars use it as a source of energy, but they do so by fusing their nuclei to create a different element, helium. The conditions for creating such nuclear reactions do not exist on Earth, except unfortunately in H-bombs, and future permitting, perhaps it can be obtained for peaceful purposes in future fusion reactors. Until that arrives, the chemical properties of hydrogen offer a good number of possibilities that allow it to be used for energy purposes.
On our planet hydrogen does not exist in its pure state, it is so light and so reactive that it does not last long in freedom in the atmosphere, however it abounds as part of the molecules of countless chemical compounds. It combines with oxygen to create water, with carbon it creates an extraordinary variety of compounds that give shape to our muscles, nerves, fluids, etc., with nitrogen it forms ammonia and many other substances and so we could go on citing one by one most of the chemical elements that exist in nature. Any living being contains abundant hydrogen and, when it dies, it can generate substances such as oil, which is nothing more than living matter processed by nature over millennia.
Today we talk about hydrogen with Paula Sanchez Paredes, professor of chemical engineering at the Faculty of Chemical Sciences and Technologies of the University of Castilla la Mancha. Paula explains during the interview that hydrogen has great value as an energy vector, that is, as an intermediary capable of storing energy for its transport and subsequent use. If we want to achieve a cleaner use of energy, something that we are committed to, whether we like it or not, hydrogen is a good candidate to help us.
We know that solar energy can only be obtained during the day, when the Sun illuminates the solar panels, we also know that the wind is capricious and moves the blades of the mills without taking into account the energy needs of each moment. Thus, the amount of energy produced by these means does not usually coincide with that demanded by consumers at all times. Logically, it is not recommended that excess energy be lost and a good option is to store it for later use. Hydrogen offers us that possibility.
Hydrogen atoms feel an uncontrolled attraction to oxygen. When both elements meet, an explosive union is produced that releases a good amount of energy and produces water as waste. Breaking the water molecule and separating its components again requires, then, the opposite process, that is, the same amount of energy must be supplied to the molecule that oxygen and hydrogen released during their union. That is the reason why obtaining energy from water is a chimera. Now, the energy used during the separation of oxygen and hydrogen in a water molecule is stored in its atoms. The hydrogen obtained can be stored, transported and used as a source of energy later, at will. This is how hydrogen is defined as an energy vector. In the end, the hydrogen can be used to power a fuel cell that will convert the energy into electricity, or through direct combustion with oxygen, which could be used in an engine, although development is still in its infancy.
But handling hydrogen is not easy, being so light, it occupies enormous volumes that make its transportation impractical. The option remains is to liquefy it, as is done with the butane that we consume in cylinders, but enormous pressures and very low temperatures are required to achieve it. Finally, it is such a reactive gas that handling it in an oxygen-rich atmosphere is very dangerous. For these reasons, formulas are studied that allow it to be stored and used more safely.
One of those options is the one investigated by our guest, Paula Sanchez Paredesand his team within a project that receives the name of HYDROAM. The project aims to find formulas that allow the use of ammonia as an intermediary. The ammonia molecule contains one nitrogen and three hydrogen atoms, it is easy to obtain, and when the molecule dissociates, it generates hydrogen and nitrogen that can be safely released because, as you know, it is the most abundant gas in the atmosphere.
Thus, ammonia is an energy vector that has great potential in the chemical storage of hydrogen, it is easy to store and has a proven distribution and use network due to its use in the manufacture of fertilizers. The objective of the project HYDROAM is the development of new catalysts that allow the ammonia molecule to be broken down into its components, with the aim of obtaining hydrogen that can be used later as an energy source.
I invite you to listen to Paula Sanchez Paredesprofessor of chemistry at the Faculty of Chemical Sciences and Technologies of the UCLM in Ciudad Real and researcher of the project HYDROAM for the production of hydrogen from ammonia.
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