Functional and Systems Biology
Discovery of a Novel and Sustainable Organic Liquid Hydrogen Carrier
Scientists suggest a new way of binding hydrogen with compounds by using lignin-based jet fuel that enables stable storage and transportation of hydrogen.
A multi-institutional team of scientists recently identified a new way to bind hydrogen to a compound within lignin-based jet fuel, making the fuel more stable for storage and transport. (Image | Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory)
The Science
Hydrogen is a versatile energy carrier important for achieving sustainable and zero-emission fuel. However, its volatility and explosive nature makes it difficult to store and transport, and it requires special pressurized tanks to do so safely. A multi-institutional team of scientists recently identified a new way to bind hydrogen to a compound within lignin-based jet fuel, forming what is called a liquid organic hydrogen carrier. The process makes the fuel much more stable and thus easier to transport. To develop the carrier, the team applied a dehydrogenation process using synthesized platinum nanoparticles supported on a common material called zeolite. Analyses of the success of this process for lignin-based jet fuel revealed a variety of chemicals with similar structures and properties that can be investigated to develop new technologies for liquid organic hydrogen carriers within the fuel industry.
The Impact
The lignin jet fuel-based liquid organic hydrogen carrier technology enables efficient high-density hydrogen storage in an easy-to-handle sustainable aviation fuel, thus eliminating the need for pressurized tanks for storage and transport. This innovation offers promising opportunities for compatibility with existing infrastructure, economic viability for scalable production, and creation of a synergistic system that enhances the efficiency, safety, and sustainability of both aviation fuel and hydrogen technologies.
Summary
A multi-institutional team of researchers from Washington State University, the University of New Haven, and National Resources Canada, led by a scientist from the Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory (EMSL), a Department of Energy Office of Science user facility, combined efforts in nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), molecular modeling, and gas chromatography methodologies to study the dehydrogenation reaction of lignin-based jet fuel. The team demonstrated the potential of using the biofuel as a sustainable liquid organic hydrogen carrier. NMR experiments were conducted at EMSL and used an in situ reaction capability developed at EMSL. EMSL scientists were able to seal an NMR rotor for use on mixed phase samples (solid/liquid/gas) but also modified it to have the ability to hold pressures up to 225 bar. The work shows that utilization of platinum nanoparticles supported on zeolite was able to dehydrogenate mono-, di-, and tricyclohexanes of lignin-based jet fuel to form new aromatic species including alkylbenzenes, tetralins, and naphthalenes. Reaction pathways have been proposed, illustrating the advancement toward a novel and sustainable hydrogen carrier technology.
Contacts
Bin Yang
Washington State University
bin.yang@wsu.edu
Andrew S. Lipton
EMSL
as.lipton@pnnl.gov
Funding
This project was supported by the Department of Energy (DOE), Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy and Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technologies Office. Additional support was provided through an Exploratory Research proposal through the Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory, a DOE Office of Science user facility sponsored by the Biological and Environmental Research program.
Publications
A.S. Lipton; Ibrahim, T.; Schwartz, W.; Gieleciak, R.; Xiao, D.; and Yang, B. “In-situ dehydrogenation of lignin-based jet fuel: A novel and sustainable liquid organic hydrogen carrier.” International Journal of Hydrogen Energy 98, 1275–1282 (2025). [DOI:10.1016/j.ijhydene.2024.12.082]