New Route to Zero Carbon Hydrogen

零碳氢新途径

基本信息

批准号：
EP/X018172/1
负责人：
Xiaodong Wang
金额：
$ 25.77万
依托单位：
Lancaster University
依托单位国家：
英国
项目类别：
Research Grant
财政年份：
2023
资助国家：
英国
起止时间：
2023 至无数据
项目状态：
未结题

来源：
https://gtr.ukri.org/projects?ref=EP%2FX018172%2F1
关键词：
New Route Zero Carbon Hydrogen

项目摘要

In order to decrease the environmental impact of humanity we need to rapidly move away from the use of fossil fuels both for energy and chemical production. Hydrogen is now being pursued as an alternative energy carrier since its use yields water as a by-product (as opposed to the carbon dioxide produced when a fossil fuel is used). The challenge is therefore how we obtain molecular hydrogen (i.e., H2) in a carbon neutral manner. The conventional route for hydrogen production is known as steam reforming. This process traditionally uses a fossil fuel (i.e., natural gas) as feedstock and is an energy intensive process and so results in considerable carbon dioxide emissions. Water splitting (2H2O = 2H2 + O2) has long been viewed as an alternative option for hydrogen production but still faces some challenges, such as the process cost. It is therefore highly desirable to develop further methods for hydrogen production. In this project, we are taking inspiration from nature and considering how the use of nature's catalysts (enzymes) can assist in the production of zero-carbon hydrogen. In order to achieve this, two distinct processes must work in harmony:Step 1: Hydrogen transfer from substrate to a cofactor by enzymatic dehydrogenation.Step 2: Release of hydrogen from the cofactor so that it can be recycled back into Step 1.The 'substrate' in Step 1 is a molecule which will have two hydrogen atoms removed as a proton (H+) and a hydride (H-) by an enzyme. The hydride will then be transferred to a cofactor (known as NAD+) to yield NADH, which temporarily holds the hydride. In order for the system to be cyclic, it is therefore vital to be able to remove the hydride so that the NAD+ cofactor is regenerated and in doing so, hydrogen will be produced (via the recombination of hydride and proton). This project will therefore look to explore the use of a catalyst for this particular step. A heterogeneous catalyst (i.e., a solid catalyst) is preferred for a number of reasons. Firstly, these materials are relatively well studied and understood, easy for scaling up. Secondly, since many catalysts are based on the use of expensive metals (e.g., platinum, rhodium, gold etc) it is important to be able to separate and reuse the catalyst to decrease cost and this is far more feasible with a heterogeneous/solid catalyst.In order for the process described above to be zero-carbon it is important that the so-called substrate (which is converted into a by-product) is chosen carefully. The substrates that will be explored will be from renewable sources (i.e., naturally produced alcohols, aldehydes, acids, sugars, and polyols, etc.) and chosen such that the by-product is in its own right a value-added chemical. In other words, this project will simultaneously target the production of the key energy carrier H2 in a zero-carbon manner whilst also offering a fossil fuel free route to certain chemical compounds.

为了减少人类对环境的影响，我们需要迅速停止在能源和化学品生产中使用化石燃料。氢现在被视为一种替代能源载体，因为它的使用会产生副产品水（与使用化石燃料时产生的二氧化碳相反）。因此，挑战在于我们如何以碳中和的方式获得分子氢（即 H2）。传统的制氢途径被称为蒸汽重整。该过程传统上使用化石燃料（即天然气）作为原料，是能源密集型过程，因此会产生大量二氧化碳排放。水分解（2H2O = 2H2 + O2）长期以来一直被视为氢气生产的替代选择，但仍然面临一些挑战，例如工艺成本。因此非常需要开发进一步的氢气生产方法。在这个项目中，我们从大自然中汲取灵感，并考虑如何使用大自然的催化剂（酶）来协助生产零碳氢。为了实现这一目标，两个不同的过程必须协调一致：第 1 步：通过酶促脱氢将氢从底物转移到辅因子。第 2 步：从辅因子中释放氢，以便它可以循环回到第 1 步。步骤 1 中的“底物”是一种分子，其两个氢原子将被酶以质子 (H+) 和氢化物 (H-) 的形式去除。然后氢化物将被转移到辅因子（称为 NAD+）以产生 NADH，NADH 暂时保留氢化物。因此，为了使系统成为循环系统，至关重要的是能够去除氢化物，以便 NAD+ 辅因子再生，并在此过程中产生氢气（通过氢化物和质子的重组）。因此，该项目将探索在这一特定步骤中使用催化剂。由于多种原因优选多相催化剂（即固体催化剂）。首先，这些材料被相对充分地研究和理解，易于放大。其次，由于许多催化剂都是基于使用昂贵的金属（例如铂、铑、金等），因此能够分离和再利用催化剂以降低成本非常重要，这对于非均相/固体催化剂来说更为可行为了使上述过程实现零碳，仔细选择所谓的底物（转化为副产品）非常重要。将探索的底物将来自可再生来源（即天然产生的醇、醛、酸、糖和多元醇等），并进行选择，以使副产品本身就是一种增值化学品。换句话说，该项目将同时以零碳方式生产关键能源载体氢气，同时为某些化合物提供无化石燃料的生产途径。