Fuel made from hydrogen has the ability to cut our CO2 emissions to zero. Major production challenges are holding it back from wider use. Researchers have long focused on hydrogen as a key player in enhancing environmental sustainability and increasing the availability of clean energy. Fanglin Che, an associate professor in the Department of Chemical Engineering at Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI), is at the helm of recent breakthroughs to address these challenges. He uses creative techniques to unlock the potential of machine learning and computational modeling.
Che and his team are working hard to make hydrogen production more energy efficient. They’re not just laying claim to the future of transportation. Their groundbreaking research centers on the development of optimal catalysts for hydrogen production, utilizing machine learning techniques that streamline the search process. Such an approach accelerates discovery of promising new materials. It increases the cost and overall effectiveness of the hubs catalysts used across various hydrogen production methods.
Innovative Techniques in Catalyst Discovery
The research team has developed interpretable machine learning algorithms that help identify Earth-abundant metal alloys capable of outperforming traditional ruthenium catalysts in plasma-assisted ammonia decomposition. Che’s MAC (Modeling and AI in Catalysis) Lab has integrated multi-scale simulations with ML. This cutting-edge integration empowers them to quickly eliminate unfit materials from the running — fast-tracking acceptance or rejection.
As a result of this smart pairing, the researchers zeroed in on six promising candidates. They narrowed this down to a selection of more than 3,300 bimetallic alloys composed of readily available, easily attainable noncritical minerals. Historically, the process for testing each alloy was a drawn-out trial-and-error process. By leveraging Che’s lab with the latest in computational methods, his team has made this approach far more efficient.
“Being published in Nature Chemical Engineering is a milestone for our lab,” – Fanglin Che
Follow-on laboratory tests confirmed the predicted performance of these found metal alloy. After conducting these tests, the researchers chose four of the tested alloys as the most promising hydrogen production catalysts.
Reducing Carbon Footprint Through Advanced Techniques
The team’s innovative approach proposes to further reduce the carbon footprint associated with hydrogen production by decomposing ammonia using plasma technology. This approach allows chemical transformations to occur at significantly lower temperatures than typical industrial processes. So, it increases the adoption of energy efficiency and makes the country more sustainable.
By focusing on plasma-assisted ammonia decomposition, the researchers aim to tackle two critical challenges in hydrogen production: efficiency and environmental impact. Che’s lab discoveries greatly enhance our understanding of important science. In addition to reenergizing our heartland, they pave the way for equitable deployment of a new clean energy technologies.
Publication of their research in Nature Chemical Engineering is a big milestone for the team. Beyond that, it underscores the need for bringing cutting-edge computational methods to bear on the pressing real-world challenges of energy generation and sustainable development.
The Future of Hydrogen Production
Continuing research at WPI makes a major step in that direction. Its goal is to transact past the challenges which have traditionally constrained the adoption of hydrogen as a clean gas supply. Global demand for sustainable energy solutions is rapidly increasing. Innovations from Che’s lab have the potential to radically change how we produce hydrogen, making the process greener, cleaner, and more efficient.
Machine learning combined with advanced simulations are opening fascinating possibilities. They are essential to our quest for finding new catalysts that can provide the world’s growing energy needs with less environmental impact. By prioritizing efficient and sustainable ways to produce hydrogen, researchers are working toward a cleaner energy future.