BENGALURU: Indian Institute for Science, Bengaluru researchers have developed a new technology to produce hydrogen from biomass, which is a renewable energy source.It is a two-step process. In the first step, biomass is converted into syngas – a hydrogen-rich fuel gas mixture – in a novel reactor using oxygen and steam. In the second, pure hydrogen is generated from syngas using an indigenously developed low-pressure gas separation unit.
S Dasappa, Professor at Centre for Sustainable Technologies, and Chair of the Interdisciplinary Centre for Energy Research, IISc said that the hydrogen mostly comes from fossil fuels synthesised by steam methane reforming route.
The process produces 100 g of hydrogen from a kg of biomass even though only 60 g of hydrogen is present in a kg of biomass. This is because in this process, steam, which also contains hydrogen, participates in both homogeneous and heterogeneous reactions, Dasappa said. The production is carbon negative.
The technology also dovetails with the National Hydrogen Energy Roadmap, an initiative of the central government that aims to promote the use of hydrogen as a fuel, he added. Green hydrogen can be used in steel to decarbonise steel.