From nuclear waste to hydrogen production: From past consequences to future prospect

Abstract

Nuclear wastes may not be considered as unusable materials in the sense that they deliver a free source of energy under the form of ionizing radiations that can be used to produce hydrogen (H2) through water radiolysis. The current paradigm that define these nuclear wastes as troublesome by-products which no one uses nowadays must be shifted into a new opportunity for pure H2 production with no CO2 emission. Here, we propose a low-tech method to boost H2 production by water radiolysis thanks to the catalytic effect of a suspension of TiO2 nano-particles. We also demonstrate the relevance of this concept by scaling up our laboratory results. From our calculations, this radiocatalytic process can supply until 60% of the actual global demand in hydrogen (42.9 MtH2.y-1) and open the door, together with the green and white hydrogen productions, to the “Hydrogen century”.