New Energies, new possibilities

Air Liquide has officially become the first supplier in Germany to receive Renewable Fuels of Non-Biological Origin (RFNBO) certification for its renewable hydrogen. This pivotal certification, granted to the hydrogen produced by the company's PEM electrolyzer "Trailblazer" located in Oberhausen, marks a significant advancement in Germany's renewable hydrogen market.

By achieving RFNBO status, Air Liquide enables its hydrogen to be officially recognized as a greenhouse gas-reducing fuel, directly assisting mobility and industrial sectors—including refineries and chemical producers—in meeting their ambitious climate objectives.

Air Liquide's Chairman of the Supervisory Board, Gilles Le Van, expressed gratitude towards all involved parties: "Our Chairman of the Supervisory Board, Gilles Le Van, thanked the dedicated Air Liquide teams, the Federal Environment Agency for their constant cooperation and DEKRA Germany for their professional and efficient support in achieving this goal."

With this certification, Air Liquide continues to set precedents and solidify its position at the forefront of Germany’s evolving hydrogen economy, remaining true to the pioneering spirit suggested by the electrolyzer’s name, "Trailblazer."

Source:  Fuel Cells Works

China achieves breakthrough in solar-powered water splitting for hydrogen production

SHENYANG — French sci-fi author Jules Verne predicted about 150 years ago that water would become the fuel of the future. Today, scientists are striving to turn this fantasy into reality.

Chinese researchers recently achieved a breakthrough in “photocatalytic water splitting for hydrogen production.” By performing “structural reshaping” and “element substitution” on a semiconductor material, they significantly enhanced the efficiency of converting water into clean hydrogen energy by using sunlight.

Current solar-driven hydrogen production primarily relies on two methods — one uses solar panels to generate electricity for water electrolysis, which requires complex and costly equipment, while the other employs semiconductor materials as catalysts to directly split water molecules under sunlight, according to Liu Gang, director of the Institute of Metal Research of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and leader of the research team.

The key to directly splitting water with sunlight lies in a material called titanium dioxide. When exposed to sunlight, it functions like a microscopic power plant, generating energized electron-hole pairs that break down water molecules into hydrogen and oxygen, Liu explained.

However, traditional titanium dioxide has a critical flaw — its internal structure resembles a maze, causing the activated electrons and holes to collide randomly and recombine and annihilate within a millionth of a second. Additionally, the high-temperature fabrication process of the material often leads to oxygen atom loss, creating positively charged “trap zones” that capture electrons.

Liu’s team addressed these issues by introducing scandium, a rare-earth element neighboring titanium on the periodic table, to restructure the material.

Scandium ions, similar in size to titanium ions, fit perfectly into the titanium dioxide lattice without causing structural distortion. Their stable valence neutralizes the charge imbalance caused by oxygen vacancies, eliminating “trap zones.” Moreover, scandium atoms reconstruct the crystal surface, creating specific facets that act like “electronic highways and overpasses,” allowing electrons and holes to escape the maze efficiently.

Through precise control, the research team successfully developed a specialized titanium dioxide material with significantly enhanced performance — its utilization of ultraviolet light exceeded 30 percent, and its hydrogen production efficiency under simulated sunlight was 15 times higher than previously reported titanium dioxide materials, setting a new record, Liu stated.

Liu said,

If used to create a one-square-meter photocatalytic material panel, around 10 liters of hydrogen can be produced in one day of sunlight

The achievement was published in the latest issue of the Journal of the American Chemical Society.

Liu revealed,

We aim to further improve the technology to enable efficient utilization of visible light in sunlight,

He also noted that China currently accounts for over 50 percent of global titanium dioxide production, supported by a robust industrial chain. Additionally, China ranks among the world’s leaders in terms of scandium reserves.

Liu added,

With continued advancements in photocatalytic water-splitting efficiency, this technology holds promise for industrial application, and could drive the transformation of energy systems,

Source:  Hydrogencentral

本田技術研究所（埼玉県和光市、大津啓司社長）は、開発中の循環型再生エネルギーシステムの水電解セルを国際宇宙ステーション（ＩＳＳ）で試験するため、米シエラスペース、米テックマスターズの両社と契約を締結した。月面での実用化を念頭に、微小重力環境下での技術信頼性を高める。試験の時期や期間は非公表。

同システムは独自の高圧水電解システムと、燃料電池システムを組み合わせたもの。太陽エネルギーと水から酸素、水素、電気を継続的に製造する。宇宙航空研究開発機構（ＪＡＸＡ）と共同研究・開発を進めていた。

２０２４年秋にホンダの米国現地法人内に宇宙関連の窓口部門を新設しており、今回の計画も同部門がマネジメントする。今後、新設した窓口部門を通じて米航空宇宙局（ＮＡＳＡ）など宇宙関連機関、企業との連携強化を目指す。

月面で再生エネルギー実現へ…本田技研、「水電解セル」ISSで試験｜ニュースイッチ by 日刊工業新聞社