Chinese scientists have made significant strides in catalytic hydrogen production, extending catalyst lifespan for methanol reforming to over 1,000 hours and achieving carbon dioxide-free hydrogen production from ethanol, according to the lead researcher on the projects.

"Achieving a catalyst stability of 1,000 hours is generally considered a key threshold for moving from laboratory research to pilot testing, marking our first step toward the basic conditions for large-scale application," said Professor Zhou Wu from the School of Physical Sciences at the University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

Zhou's team, in collaboration with Professor Ma Ding's team from Peking University, developed a rare earth oxide nano-coating on platinum-based catalysts, creating a nanoscale protective shield. This enhanced the catalyst's stability while maintaining its high activity.

The turnover number of the catalyst reached 15 million, meaning a single platinum atom can produce 15 million hydrogen molecules during its lifespan, Zhou explained.

Compared to the team's 2021 research published in Nature, catalyst stability increased tenfold, from 100 to 1,000 hours.

"Four years ago, our results were already internationally leading. Scientists worldwide are exploring different efficient and green hydrogen production methods. This breakthrough could make low-cost, large-scale hydrogen production possible," he said.

The findings were published online last week in the journal Nature.

Hydrogen energy is considered crucial for future clean energy systems, but current production methods, with about 96 percent relying on fossil fuels, typically emit 9 to 12 tons of carbon dioxide per ton of hydrogen, Zhou said.

"This creates a significant conflict with global carbon neutrality goals. Therefore, developing truly green, efficient and low-carbon hydrogen production technologies has become a key issue in the global energy transition," he said.

"Once this technology moves from the lab to industrial application, it will have a significant impact not only on the hydrogen production industry but also in areas with weak infrastructure, such as ocean-going ships and deep-sea operations, enabling the clean conversion of liquid fuels to electrical energy," Zhou said.

In separate research published in Science last week, the same team successfully performed ethanol-water reforming to produce hydrogen at a mild temperature of 270 C, fixing the carbon atoms in ethanol into acetic acid, thus eliminating direct carbon dioxide emissions.

"Traditional ethanol-to-hydrogen technologies face the dual challenges of high-temperature energy consumption and carbon dioxide emissions. This technology not only consumes less energy and is more environmentally friendly but also provides a new green pathway for acetic acid production," Zhou said.

Despite the progress, the cost of precious metals used remains a major challenge. The team's next step is to focus on cost reduction to promote industrial application.