AN ECONOMIC, CLEAN HYDROGEN PRODUCTION PROCESS DEVELOPED BY THE UNIQUE GLOBAL POSSIBILITIES (UGP) GROUP
A new hydrogen production process reduces the current cost of electrolytic hydrogen production by up to 80% because the process splits water using carbon dioxide under pressure which supplants energy intensive electrolysis. The process utilizes carbon dioxide (as a catalyst mainly) mixed in water to produce a concentrated solution of carbonic acid. At high enough pressure, the carbonic acid provides hydrogen ions (protons) to the cathode of an elementary electrolysis chamber. The hydrogen ions are then converted to hydrogen gas at very low voltage utilizing renewable (wind, solar) energy or other sources of energy.
The US Department of Energy states the primary challenge of hydrogen production is to reduce the cost of production and to improve distribution. See US Department of Energy – Hydrogen production and distribution. The new hydrogen production process developed by UGP addresses both these challenges by allowing hydrogen to be produced locally and economically.
Carbon dioxide + Water → Carbonic acid
Carbonic acid → Protons (hydrogen ions) + Bicarbonate
Protons + Renewable energy → Hydrogen gas
Bicarbonate → either oxygen or bicarbonate to oceans (depending on voltage)
Hydrogen gas stores renewable energy for use when the sun doesn’t shine and the wind doesn’t blow. Hydrogen is the cleanest energy source known. The only product of hydrogen utilization is water.
Hydrogen + Oxygen → Energy + Water
PLEASE NOTE:
The process of carbon dioxide splitting water to produce protons (hydrogen ions) and bicarbonate is universal. Indeed, human life would not exist without it. For example, in human red blood cells each enzyme molecule of carbonic anhydrase reacts carbon dioxide and water to produce up to one million protons per second and one million bicarbonate entities per second. This reaction prevents carbon dioxide gas produced in cell metabolism from forming gas bubbles and instigating blood clots in the brain, heart and other organs. The process developed by the Unique Global Possibilities Group is an extension of this universal process – albeit utilizing principles of thermodynamics rather than enzyme kinetics. The chemistry is unequivocal.
Direct commercial and environmental outcomes of UGP’s clean hydrogen production process
UGP’s hydrogen production process produces hydrogen economically and hence can store renewable energy for use when the sun doesn’t shine and the wind doesn’t blow. Storage of renewable energy with hydrogen is potentially infinite whereas other storage techniques, such as battery storage (and hydro storage), are finite.
Hydrogen can be utilized in modified natural gas turbines, or specific hydrogen gas turbines, to produce dispatchable electricity (on demand) without the production of carbon dioxide emissions and other contaminants.
UGP’s hydrogen production process produces clean, uncontaminated hydrogen that is suitable for fuel cell electric vehicles. Hydrogen vehicles (powered by hydrogen combustion or hydrogen fuel cells) produce few, if any, emissions except water. Hence, there is no environmental contamination from exhaust emissions and the hydrogen vehicles (cars, trucks, buses) are ideal for promoting and maintaining healthy clean air in cities and industrial areas. Car makers Toyota Motor Corp., Honda Motor Co., Hyundai Motor Co., Daimler AG (Mercedez Benz) and BMW AG have hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicles ready for large-scale sales once hydrogen can be produced conveniently, cleanly and economically.
UGP’s hydrogen production process can recycle cleaned carbon dioxide at low voltage to produce bicarbonate to counter and correct rising ocean acidity, help protect coral reefs and maintain life in the oceans as we know it today. See Oceans.
Current market possibilities for UGP’s hydrogen production process
According to the US Department of Energy, approximately 40 million tons of hydrogen are produced annually (mainly for fuel, gasoline/petroleum, or nitrogen fertilizer production) which equates to an annual production income of approximately US $140 billion. International expenditure involving research alone for hydrogen fuel cells and fuel cell vehicles currently stands at US $5 billion. The majority of hydrogen is produced from steam reforming of natural gas and contains contaminants unsuitable for hydrogen fuel cells and hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicles.
All national and global indications are that the time is appropriate for clean, economic hydrogen production. At the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland in January 2017 the Toyota Motor Corporation together with other car manufacturers and oil and gas giants Royal Dutch Shell Plc and Total SA committed 10 billion euros (US $10.7 billion) to the development of hydrogen technology.
At the conference, Toyota’s Chairman Takeshi Uchiyamada stated:
“In addition to transportation, hydrogen has the potential to support our transition to a low-carbon society across multiple industries and the entire value chain.”
Shell CEO Ben Van Beurden stated:
“Hydrogen has massive potential.”
Clean hydrogen
Clean hydrogen is the ultimate for renewable energy storage, the ultimate in global energy security, the ultimate for fuel cell electric vehicles, and the ultimate for clean air and a clean sustainable environment.
According to NASA, clean hydrogen is the ultimate rocket fuel for space exploration and for humans landing on Mars – and returning to Earth. See NASA Space Launch System.
Clean hydrogen production that utilizes carbon dioxide emissions will assist economically those industries that are carbon intensive and wish to actively decrease carbon dioxide emissions into the atmosphere.
These industries include:
- fossil fuel power generation
- fertilizer production
- cement production
- iron and steel production
The above industries produce approximately half of all anthropegenic global carbon dioxide emissions.
UGP’s breakthrough in clean hydrogen production technology
Information video explaining the breakthrough in clean hydrogen production technology and renewable energy storage.
The advantages of hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicles
For more information on hydrogen
Intellectual property
Australian Patent Number
2013200983
USA Patent Number
US 9,090,978 B2
Japanese Patent Number
6174703
European Patent Number
2898114
European Patent Number
3243933
Indian Patent Application
No. 1941/DELNP/2015
Others patents pending
Positive Written Opinion of the International Patent Searching Authority
No. PCT/AU2013/001062
Positive Written Opinion of the International Patent Searching Authority
“The claims meet the criteria set out in PCT Article 33(3) with regard to the requirement of Inventive Step because the prior art does not obviously suggest to a person skilled in the art a step exposing an aqueous liquid / aqueous solution to carbon dioxide prior to electrolysing the aqueous liquid / aqueous solution in the process of generation of hydrogen through electrolysis of water, thereby resulting in an increased rate of production of hydrogen without pollutants / toxic by-products.
The claimed invention is not obvious in the light of any of the cited documents nor is it disclosed in any obvious combination of them. It is also considered that it would not be obvious to a person skilled in the art in the light of common general knowledge either by itself or in combination with any of these documents.”
Vijaya Mathe, Authorized Officer