Waste metal swarf used in experiment to transform it into a highly effective catalyst to make hydrogen from water, a discovery that might make hydrogen production more sustainable. Credit: University of NottinghamResearchers have developed a technique to convert metal waste into an efficient driver for producing hydrogen from water, a breakthrough that might boost the sustainability of hydrogen production.A group of researchers from the University of Nottinghams School of Chemistry and Faculty of Engineering has discovered that the surface area of swarf, a byproduct of the metal machining industry, is textured with small actions and grooves on a nanoscale level. With the minimal worldwide supply and increasing rates of precious metals, there is an urgent need for alternative electrocatalyst products to produce hydrogen from water.Innovative Solutions from Industrial WasteDr Jesum Alves Fernandes, School of Chemistry, University of Nottingham, who led the research study group, said: “Industries in the UK alone produce millions of lots of metal waste every year.”Reference: “From scrap metal to highly efficient electrodes: utilizing the nanotextured surface of swarf for effective utilisation of Pt and Co for hydrogen production” by Madasamy Thangamuthu, Emerson C. Kohlrausch, Ming Li, Alistair Speidel, Adam T. Clare, Richard Plummer, Paul Geary, James W. Murray, Andrei N. Khlobystov and Jesum Alves Fernandes, 16 April 2024, Journal of Materials Chemistry A.DOI: 10.1039/ D4TA00711EThis work, moneyed by the EPSRC Programme Grant Metal atoms on user interfaces and surface areas (MASI) for sustainable future, represents a considerable action towards lowering dependence on costly metals for hydrogen production, therefore contributing significantly to the low-carbon and circular economy.
Waste metal swarf used in experiment to change it into an extremely effective catalyst to make hydrogen from water, a discovery that might make hydrogen production more sustainable. Credit: University of NottinghamResearchers have actually established a technique to transform metal waste into an efficient catalyst for producing hydrogen from water, an advancement that might boost the sustainability of hydrogen production.A team of scientists from the University of Nottinghams School of Chemistry and Faculty of Engineering has actually discovered that the surface of swarf, a by-product of the metal machining industry, is textured with small steps and grooves on a nanoscale level.”Reference: “From scrap metal to highly efficient electrodes: harnessing the nanotextured surface area of swarf for efficient utilisation of Pt and Co for hydrogen production” by Madasamy Thangamuthu, Emerson C. Kohlrausch, Ming Li, Alistair Speidel, Adam T. Clare, Richard Plummer, Paul Geary, James W. Murray, Andrei N. Khlobystov and Jesum Alves Fernandes, 16 April 2024, Journal of Materials Chemistry A.DOI: 10.1039/ D4TA00711EThis work, moneyed by the EPSRC Programme Grant Metal atoms on surface areas and user interfaces (MASI) for sustainable future, represents a substantial action towards lowering dependence on costly metals for hydrogen production, thus contributing significantly to the low-carbon and circular economy.