IISc Develops New Technology To Produce Green Hydrogen From Biomass

The Indian Institute for Science, Bengaluru.

(Photo Courtesy: ENVIS)

The Indian Institute for Science, Bengaluru (IISc) researchers have developed a new technology to produce green hydrogen from biomass, a plant-based renewable source of energy, in just two steps, reported The News Indian Express on Wednesday, 13 July.

Firstly, biomass is converted into ‘syngas’ – or synthesis gas mixture rich in hydrogen – in a novel reactor with oxygen and steam.

Secondly, pure hydrogen is generated from the syngas with the use of an indigenously developed low-pressure gas separation unit.

S Dasappa, Professor at the Centre for Sustainable Technologies, and Chair of the Interdisciplinary Centre for Energy Research, IISc, said that the entire process generates 100 g of hydrogen from 1 kg of biomass even though only 60 g of hydrogen is present in 1 kg of biomass.

A 'Carbon Negative' Fuel

Dasappa said, “This is because in this process, steam, which also contains hydrogen, participates in both homogeneous and heterogeneous reactions. The production is carbon negative.”

Dasappa added that hydrogen mostly comes from fossil fuels synthesised by steam reforming of methane.

The new technology is a joint effort with the National Hydrogen Energy Roadmap, a Centre’s initiative to promote the use of hydrogen as fuel, said Dasappa.

Such a ‘green hydrogen’ can even be used to decarbonise steel, he said.

(With inputs from The New Indian Express.)