Generation and Storage of Hydrogen Gas from Non-metal and Metal Hydrides Using Metal Complex Catalysts: A Review

Abstract

Sustainable renewable and environmentally friendly sources of fuel are in high demand. Hydrogen fuel appears to be the best energy source that is sustainable, renewable and environmentally friendly. In order to change the fossil fuel driven world economy to climate friendly hydrogen fuel driven economy, there is an urgent need for large scale development of new infrastructures and technologies to generate and store hydrogen. Pollution free hydrogen gas is the energy of the future. The application of hydrogen fuel in mobile machineries requires that hydrogen is stored in compact and lightweight systems. The storage of hydrogen in solid state has many advantages compared to compressed gas or cryogenic liquid in volumetric terms. The difficult with solid state hydrogen storage is that metal hydrides tend to release hydrogen at or above 90°C. The most critical component to the development of a hydrogen driven economy is elucidation of materials with efficient hydrogenation/dehydrogenation kinetics at a reduced operational temperature. This is possible with improvements in development of alloys and catalysts. By using advanced computer modelling for possible hydrogen storage complex metals, it is possible to develop a special type of a hydride metal complex that allows absorption and desorption of hydrogen at a much lower temperature for mobile application. Such a metal complex can allow development of hydrogen fueled automobiles and cheap large-scale application of hydrogen in generation of electricity for sustainable development worldwide, quickly replacing nuclear energy and fossil fuels. This paper identifies current difficulties that need to be overcome for hydrogen driven economy to be realized and proposes practical solutions.