New research shows that formic acid could be used as a safe, easy-to-transport source of hydrogen for fuel cells. Matthias Beller and his colleagues at the Leibniz Institute of Catalysis, in Rostock, Germany, have found a way to convert formic acid, a common preservative and antibacterial agent, into hydrogen gas at low temperatures.
While hydrogen produced using this method might not find use in fuel-cell vehicles anytime soon, the researchers say that the process could produce sufficient quantities for micro fuel cells that power portable electronic devices, such as cell phones and laptops.
The challenge of producing, storing, and transporting hydrogen affordably has kept fuel cells from becoming popular. Instead of transporting hydrogen gas, it is more practical to have a hydrogen-containing material that can be broken down to generate the gas where it is needed. Currently, methane and methanol top the list of hydrogen sources for fuel-cell vehicles. They are typically broken down via steam reforming, which requires temperatures of more than 200 °C and a reforming unit.
Processes that work at cooler temperatures would not need a reformer or much energy, and therefore could be more suitable for producing hydrogen for smaller fuel cells that power portable electronic devices. The new process, which Beller and his colleagues outline in Angewandte Chemie, works at temperatures of 26 to 40 °C. The researchers mix formic acid with amines and expose the mixture to a ruthenium-based catalyst, which breaks down the acid into hydrogen and carbon dioxide.
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New research shows that formic acid could be used as a safe, easy-to-transport source of hydrogen for fuel cells. Matthias Beller and his colleagues at the Leibniz Institute of Catalysis, in Rostock, Germany, have found a way to convert formic acid, a common preservative and antibacterial agent, into hydrogen gas at low temperatures.
