“Perfect reactor” produces "green” hydrogen

One of the biggest barriers towards establishment of a "hydrogen economy" is the availability of hydrogen gas. Although it is the most abundant element in the universe, on earth it is always present as part of a compound, which must be broken apart to retrieve it. This requires energy, and if hydrogen is to be a low carbon energy carrier, that energy must itself be low carbon. Currently, most hydrogen is produced from hydrocarbons or by electrolysis of water, both of which generally use energy generated with the production of carbon dioxide.

The Newcastle team, led by chemical engineer Prof Iain Metcalfe, has developed a process which avoids mixing reactant gases by transferring oxygen between reactant streams via a solid-state oxygen reservoir. Reacting water and carbon dioxide to generate hydrogen and carbon monoxide, the process operates close to an equilibrium state, resulting in a pure stream of hydrogen which does not require additional separation processes.