A St. Bonaventure University professor has published a research article that looks at ways to store and release hydrogen, a clean and renewable energy resource that many feel might one day lessen the world’s dependence on fossil fuels.
Dr. Scott Simpson, assistant professor of chemistry, published his article in the open access journal JCIS Open.
Why is hydrogen important?
“The looming global energy crisis — our dependence on limited natural resources as global demand increases — is an issue that impacts every country,” said Simpson. “Hydrogen is one of the major alternatives to replace finite fossil fuels. It has a high energy density with an energy content approximately three times higher than that of gasoline when considering a per weight basis.”
Before this dream of using hydrogen as a practical alternative energy resource can become reality, however, a safe and viable way to store it must first be found, he added.
“Currently, a very large liquid or pressurized tank of hydrogen gas would be required to be stored on board a vehicle for transportation purposes or for use in fuel-cell technology,” Simpson said. “Not only is this unpractical for these applications, but it’s also extremely dangerous for numerous reasons. If renewable hydrogen-based energy is ever to become commonplace a safe, condensed, and high capacity storage device will need to be developed.”
