IISc researchers extract green hydrogen from biomass

Scientists at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) have created a method for manufacturing hydrogen from biomass, a plentiful renewable energy source, that is environmentally beneficial. According to the experts, India utilizes close to 50 lakh tonnes of hydrogen annually for a variety of operations across numerous industries, and in the upcoming years, the hydrogen industry is anticipated to expand significantly.

"But most of the hydrogen we currently use comes from fossil fuels through a process called steam methane reforming route," said S Dasappa, a professor at IISc's Centre for Sustainable Technologies.

His team has now discovered a two-step method for extracting green hydrogen from biomass. In the initial process, oxygen and steam are used in a new reactor to transform biomass into syngas, a fuel gas mixture rich in hydrogen.

The Department of Science and Technology of the Indian Government as well as the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy funded the initiative.

Mr. Dasappa thinks that green hydrogen might be utilized in the steel industry to decarbonize steel, in agriculture to create green fertilizers, and in many other businesses that currently use hydrogen derived from fossil fuels. "Moreover, the same platform can be used for methanol and ethanol production," he added.