Safe and efficient storage has been an issue preventing mainstream introduction of hydrogen, its traditional gaseous form requiring voluminous holding containers and posing a risk of flammability.

But the TUD team's solid tablet form is claimed to solve both these issues and to be of particular benefit to the automotive industry.

"Should you drive a car 600km using gaseous hydrogen at normal pressure, it would require a fuel tank with a size of nine cars," said TUD researcher Claus Hviid Christensen.

"With our technology, the same amount of hydrogen can be stored in a normal petrol tank."

The tablet consists of ammonia, a combination of hydrogen and nitrogen, absorbed in sea-salt.

The hydrogen remains safely locked in the ammonia until needed, with a catalyst used to free the ammonia and decompose it back into free hydrogen. Once used, the tablet can be refilled with a 'shot' of ammonia and the process repeated as often as needed.

"The technology is a step towards making the society independent of fossil fuels," said Jens Nørskov from the TUD team.

"We have a new solution to one of the major obstacles to the use of hydrogen as a fuel. And we need new energy technologies – oil and gas will not last, and without energy, there is no modern society."

The researchers have founded the company Amminex with backing from TUD and SeeD Capital Denmark and will work on refining and commercialising the technology.

EnvironmentalManagementNews.net