WASHINGTON DC – Researchers at the Leibniz Institute of Catalysis looked into the problem and developed an energy storage and release system using carbonate and bicarbonate salts, while also using metal manganese, which is more widely available.
The researchers found that by converting bicarbonate and hydrogen into formate – the salt of formic acid was most effective with potassium in the presence of manganese as a catalyst.
Interestingly, lysine, an amino acid, a component of proteins in biological systems, also acted as a promoter of the reaction and worked to capture carbon dioxide and prevent it from releasing. The reaction temperature for the process remains below 200 Fahrenheit (93oC), which is less hot than a boiling pot of water.
Results of their research showed that after five cycles, the method gave a high yield of hydrogen at 80 percent. More importantly, the hydrogen released was 99 percent pure, paving the way for its use in commercial applications. When glutamic acid was used in the process, the yield of the hydrogen increased to 94 percent.
The research was published in the journal ACS Central Science.
