A new technology development in China is capable of using solar power to pull hydrogen from the air.
The self-sustaining technology does not need any external energy or water, Interesting Engineering reported.
While many see hydrogen as one of the future’s clean energy sources, there are complications to producing hydrogen right now.
This is why you may hear that some hydrogen is green, which means it’s been made through water electrolysis with renewable energy. There’s also blue hydrogen, which has been made with natural gas and captures the resulting carbon dioxide, according to the National Grid.
Professor Yin Huajie and his team at the Chinese Academy of Sciences have developed an innovation that removes the need for high-quality water in producing green hydrogen. Their development was recently published in the journal Advanced Materials.
Using a special, porous carbon material, the machine can harvest the water. This works even in dry environments, making hydrogen products possible nearly worldwide.
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As Interesting Engineering described, “Solar heat then evaporates the collected water, which is fed directly into a custom-built electrolyzer to produce hydrogen.”
Through field tests, the technology showed strong hydrogen production capabilities. At 40% humidity, the innovation can generate about 300 mL (or about 1.25 cups) per hour.
This product from the Chinese Academy of Sciences has the potential to increase access to sustainable fuel. It could follow in the footsteps of many other solar technology innovations.
For example, scientists have continuously come up with more efficient materials for solar cells. Other scientists have developed a photosynthesis-like way to pull pollutants from the air and transform that into energy through solar power.
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Diversifying our access to clean, renewable energy sources can help us shift away from reliance on dirty energy sources like coal and oil. As scientists have explained, every tenth of a degree that the global average temperature rises holds significant impacts for the planet and its inhabitants.
You can take advantage of solar power by installing panels at your home.
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According to Interesting Engineering, Professor Huajie and his team want this new technology to expand access to clean hydrogen around the globe.
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