Abstract
Hydrogen (H2) is largely regarded as a potential cost-efficient clean fuel primarily due to its beneficial properties, such as its high energy content and sustainability. With the rising demand for H2 in the past decades and its favorable characteristics as an energy carrier, the escalating USA consumption of pure H2 can be projected to reach 63 million tons by 2050. Despite the tremendous potential of H2 generation and its widespread application, transportation and storage of H2 have remained the major challenges of a sustainable H2 economy. Various efforts have been undertaken by storing H2 in activated carbons, metal organic frameworks (MOFs), covalent organic frameworks (COFs), etc. Recently, the literature has been stressing the need to develop biomass-based activated carbons as an effective H2 storage material, as these are inexpensive adsorbents with tunable chemical, mechanical, and morphological properties. This article reviews the current research trends and perspectives on the role of various properties of biomass-based activated carbons on its H2 uptake capacity. The critical aspects of the governing factors of H2 storage, namely, the surface morphology (specific surface area, pore volume, and pore size distribution), surface functionality (heteroatom and functional groups), physical condition of H2 storage (temperature and pressure), and thermodynamic properties (heat of adsorption and desorption), are discussed. A comprehensive survey of the literature showed that an “ideal” biomass-based activated carbon sorbent with a micropore size typically below 10 Å, micropore volume greater than 1.5 cm3/g, and high surface area of 4000 m2/g or more may help in substantial gravimetric H2 uptake of >10 wt% at cryogenic conditions (−196 °C), as smaller pores benefit by stronger physisorption due to the high heat of adsorption.
Highlights
Hydrogen (H2) is the most abundant element in the universe
This article discussed the key role of surface morphology as well as surface functionality on the substantial H2 uptake capacity of biomass-derived AC at various storage conditions
It can be concluded that the H2 adsorption capacity on biomass-derived AC depends on surface porosity, surface functionality, and the heteroatoms’ content
Summary
Hydrogen (H2) is the most abundant element in the universe. It is the lightest element with a high energy content (142 MJ/kg of higher heating value), which makes it a sustainable and non-toxic energy carrier [1,2,3,4,5]. A short-term H2 storage option with a lower heat of hydrogen regeneration and higher H2 recovery is crucial for vehicles and fuel cells. For fast kinetics and high reversibility of H2 over multiple cycles, physical storage in porous material has proven more economically viable than chemical storage for short-term storage [37,38]. This article presents a profound literature review to distinctly identify the most favorable characteristics of biomass-derived adsorption materials for H2 uptake. This article broadly highlights the recent developments in metal-doped activated carbon composites (spillover mechanism) to shed light on possible material modification in the practical application of hydrogen storage at ambient conditions
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
