Clean and Renewable Hydrogen Fuel

A special issue of Fuels (ISSN 2673-3994).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (15 August 2023) | Viewed by 16774

Special Issue Editor

Transportation Sustainability Research Center, University of California—Berkeley, and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, USA
Interests: transportation technology; alternative fuels; climate change; energy systems; biofuels; renewable energy; microgrids

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue of a new journal called Fuels will feature several new peer-reviewed articles on the topic of “Clean and Renewable Hydrogen Fuel”. Articles will be solicited in June 2020 with expected submissions in February 2021 and publication of the Special Issue later in 2021. Key topics include biological production methods including fermentation and algae, gasification/pyrolysis, electrolysis, and other emerging methods for clean hydrogen production. The edition will be edited by Timothy Lipman, PhD, at the University of California—Berkeley. 

Topics of interest include, but are not limited to:

  1. biomass/waste to hydrogen with gasification or pyrolysis;
  2. fermentation methods;
  3. electrolysis;
  4. algae-based production;
  5. photo-electrochemical methods;
  6. nuclear-power-assisted hydrogen production;
  7. advanced hydrogen purification strategies; and
  8. renewable hydrogen at scale.

Dr. Timothy Lipman
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Fuels is an international peer-reviewed open access quarterly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1000 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • hydrogen
  • renewable
  • production
  • purification
  • fuel cell
  • clean fuels
  • gasification
  • fermentation

Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

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19 pages, 3728 KiB  
Article
Performance Analysis of Hydrogen Production for a Solid Oxide Fuel Cell System Using a Biogas Dry Reforming Membrane Reactor with Ni and Ni/Cr Catalysts
by Akira Nishimura, Yuki Hayashi, Syogo Ito and Mohan Lal Kolhe
Fuels 2023, 4(3), 295-313; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/fuels4030019 - 24 Jul 2023
Viewed by 753
Abstract
The present study aims to analyze the performance characteristics of the biogas dry reforming process conducted in a membrane reactor using Ni/Cr catalysts and to compare these characteristics with those obtained using pure Ni catalysts. The effect of the pre-set reaction temperature, the [...] Read more.
The present study aims to analyze the performance characteristics of the biogas dry reforming process conducted in a membrane reactor using Ni/Cr catalysts and to compare these characteristics with those obtained using pure Ni catalysts. The effect of the pre-set reaction temperature, the molar ratio of CH4:CO2 and the pressure difference between the reaction chamber and the sweep chamber on the characteristics of biogas dry reforming is analyzed. In the present work, the molar ratio of the supplied CH4:CO2 is varied to 1.5:1, 1:1 and 1:1.5. In this case, CH4:CO2 = 1.5:1 simulates a biogas. The pressure difference between the reaction chamber and the sweep chamber is varied to 0 MPa, 0.010 MPa and 0.020 MPa. The reaction temperature is changed to 400 °C, 500 °C and 600 °C. It is revealed that the highest concentration of H2 is achieved using a Ni/Cr catalyst when the molar ratio of CH4:CO2 is 1.5:1 at the differential pressure of 0.010 MPa and the reaction temperature of 600 °C. Under this condition, the H2 yield, H2 selectivity and thermal efficiency are 12.8%, 17.5% and 174%, respectively. The concentration of the H2 produced using a Ni/Cr catalyst is larger than that produced using a Ni catalyst regardless of the pre-set reaction temperature, the molar ratio of CH4:CO2 and the differential pressure. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Clean and Renewable Hydrogen Fuel)
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16 pages, 3445 KiB  
Article
Highly Sensitive and Selective Hydrogen Gas Sensor with Humidity Tolerance Using Pd-Capped SnO2 Thin Films of Various Thicknesses
by Vipin Kumar, Yogendra K. Gautam, Durvesh Gautam, Ashwani Kumar, Ravikant Adalati and Beer Pal Singh
Fuels 2023, 4(3), 279-294; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/fuels4030018 - 06 Jul 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1512
Abstract
Detecting and identifying hydrogen gas leakage before a potential disaster is a critical safety concern. To address this issue, a low-cost and simple-design sensor is required with high response and fast sensing time, capable of detecting hydrogen gas even at low concentrations of [...] Read more.
Detecting and identifying hydrogen gas leakage before a potential disaster is a critical safety concern. To address this issue, a low-cost and simple-design sensor is required with high response and fast sensing time, capable of detecting hydrogen gas even at low concentrations of 5–500 ppm. This study investigates the use of magnetron-sputtered SnO2 thin films with palladium as a catalytic layer to achieve better sensing output. The developed Pd-caped SnO2 thin film sensors showed increased sensitivity with increasing thickness, up to 246.1 nm at an operating temperature of 250 °C. The sensor with a thickness of 246.1 nm exhibited excellent selectivity for H2 gas, even in humid conditions, and was able to distinguish it from other gases such as CO, NH3, and NO2. The sensor demonstrated high response (99%) with a response/recovery time of 58 s/35 s for (5–500 ppm) hydrogen gas. The sensor showed linear response to H2 gas concentration variation (5–500 ppm) at 250 °C. The sensor was found to be mechanically stable even after 60 days in a high-humidity environment. The LOD of sensor was 151.6 ppb, making it a suitable candidate for applied sensing applications. The Pd-caped SnO2 thin film sensor with thickness of ~245 nm could potentially improve the safety of hydrogen gas handling. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Clean and Renewable Hydrogen Fuel)
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16 pages, 1527 KiB  
Article
Business Model Development for a High-Temperature (Co-)Electrolyser System
by Christian Michael Riester, Gotzon García, Nerea Alayo, Albert Tarancón, Diogo M. F. Santos and Marc Torrell
Fuels 2022, 3(3), 392-407; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/fuels3030025 - 01 Jul 2022
Viewed by 3246
Abstract
There are increasing international efforts to tackle climate change by reducing the emission of greenhouse gases. As such, the use of electrolytic hydrogen as an energy carrier in decentralised and centralised energy systems, and as a secondary energy carrier for a variety of [...] Read more.
There are increasing international efforts to tackle climate change by reducing the emission of greenhouse gases. As such, the use of electrolytic hydrogen as an energy carrier in decentralised and centralised energy systems, and as a secondary energy carrier for a variety of applications, is projected to grow. Required green hydrogen can be obtained via water electrolysis using the surplus of renewable energy during low electricity demand periods. Electrolysis systems with alkaline and polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM) technology are commercially available in different performance classes. The less mature solid oxide electrolysis cell (SOEC) promises higher efficiencies, as well as co-electrolysis and reversibility functions. This work uses a bottom-up approach to develop a viable business model for a SOEC-based venture. The broader electrolysis market is analysed first, including conventional and emerging market segments. A further opportunity analysis ranks these segments in terms of business attractiveness. Subsequently, the current state and structure of the global electrolyser industry are reviewed, and a ten-year outlook is provided. Key industry players are identified and profiled, after which the major industry and competitor trends are summarised. Based on the outcomes of the previous assessments, a favourable business case is generated and used to develop the business model proposal. The main findings suggest that grid services are the most attractive business sector, followed by refineries and power-to-liquid processes. SOEC technology is particularly promising due to its co-electrolysis capabilities within the methanol production process. Consequently, an “engineering firm and operator” business model for a power-to-methanol plant is considered the most viable option. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Clean and Renewable Hydrogen Fuel)
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16 pages, 3620 KiB  
Article
Biogas Dry Reforming for Hydrogen through Membrane Reactor Utilizing Negative Pressure
by Akira Nishimura, Tomohiro Takada, Satoshi Ohata and Mohan Lal Kolhe
Fuels 2021, 2(2), 194-209; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/fuels2020012 - 19 May 2021
Cited by 10 | Viewed by 2646
Abstract
Biogas, consisting of CH4 and CO2, is a promising energy source and can be converted into H2 by a dry reforming reaction. In this study, a membrane reactor is adopted to promote the performance of biogas dry reforming. The [...] Read more.
Biogas, consisting of CH4 and CO2, is a promising energy source and can be converted into H2 by a dry reforming reaction. In this study, a membrane reactor is adopted to promote the performance of biogas dry reforming. The aim of this study is to investigate the effect of pressure of sweep gas on a biogas dry reforming to get H2. The effect of molar ratio of supplied CH4:CO2 and reaction temperature is also investigated. It is observed that the impact of psweep on concentrations of CH4 and CO2 is small irrespective of reaction temperature. The concentrations of H2 and CO increase with an increase in reaction temperature t. The concentration of H2, at the outlet of the reaction chamber, reduces with a decrease in psweep. It is due to an increase in H2 extraction from the reaction chamber to the sweep chamber. The highest concentration of H2 is obtained in the case of the molar ratio of CH4:CO2 = 1:1. The concentration of CO is the highest in the case of the molar ratio of CH4:CO2 = 1.5:1. The highest sweep effect is obtained at reaction temperature of 500 °C and psweep of 0.045 MPa. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Clean and Renewable Hydrogen Fuel)
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Review

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27 pages, 3353 KiB  
Review
Towards the Commercialization of Solid Oxide Fuel Cells: Recent Advances in Materials and Integration Strategies
by Catarina Mendonça, António Ferreira and Diogo M. F. Santos
Fuels 2021, 2(4), 393-419; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/fuels2040023 - 09 Oct 2021
Cited by 44 | Viewed by 7339
Abstract
The solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) has become a promising energy conversion technology due to its high efficiency and low environmental impact. Though there are several reviews on the topic of SOFCs, comprehensive reports that simultaneously combine the latest developments in materials and [...] Read more.
The solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) has become a promising energy conversion technology due to its high efficiency and low environmental impact. Though there are several reviews on the topic of SOFCs, comprehensive reports that simultaneously combine the latest developments in materials and integration strategies are very limited. This paper not only addresses those issues but also discusses the SOFCs working principles, design types, the fuels used, and the required features for electrodes and electrolytes. Furthermore, the implementation of this type of fuel cell on a commercial scale is analyzed. It is concluded that decreasing the SOFCs working temperature can reduce some of its current constraints, which will have a positive impact on SOFCs commercialization. Considering that SOFCs are already being successfully implemented in combined heat and power systems and off-grid power generation, the current status and prospects of this technology are thoroughly discussed. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Clean and Renewable Hydrogen Fuel)
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