Scientists have developed a lignin-based jet fuel that can store hydrogen in a stable liquid form, offering a safer and more efficient alternative to pressurized hydrogen storage. This innovation could advance sustainable aviation and clean energy technologies.
An international team of scientists has developed a method to store and release volatile hydrogen using lignin-based jet fuel, potentially advancing sustainable energy solutions.
In a recent study published in the International Journal of Hydrogen Energy, Washington State University Professor Bin Yang and colleagues demonstrated that their lignin-based jet fuel can chemically bind hydrogen in a stable liquid form. This breakthrough has significant implications for fuel and transportation industries, potentially simplifying hydrogen storage and utilization as a high-energy, zero-emission fuel source.
“This new, lignin jet fuel-based technology could enable efficient, high-density hydrogen storage in an easy-to-handle sustainable aviation fuel, eliminating the need for pressurized tanks for storage and transport,” Yang said.
Addressing Hydrogen Storage Challenges
For the study, researchers at WSU, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, the University of New Haven, and Natural Resources Canada set out to address one of the major challenges with using hydrogen as a fuel source. The lightest element’s low density and explosive nature make storage and transport technically challenging, inefficient, and expensive.
The January article details how the research team discovered the new hydrogen-storing process using chemical reactions that produced aromatic carbons and hydrogen from lignin jet fuel—an experimental fuel developed by Yang’s lab based on lignin, an organic polymer found in plants.
“Hydrogen is a versatile energy carrier that could help the U.S. meet its targets for zero-emission mobility, integration of renewables, and decarbonization of industry,” Yang said.
Potential for Sustainable Aviation and Energy Systems
The discovery points to new uses for the lignin jet fuel developed at WSU by Yang, who previously tested a new continuous process that creates the fuel from agricultural waste. Experiments have shown that the sustainably produced fuel could increase engine performance and efficiency while dispensing with aromatics, the pollution-causing compounds found in conventional fuels.
“This innovation offers promising opportunities for compatibility with existing infrastructure and economic viability for scalable production,” Yang said. “It could help create a synergistic system that enhances the efficiency, safety, and ecological benefits of both sustainable aviation fuel and hydrogen technologies.”
Next, WSU researchers will collaborate with scientists at the University of New Haven to design an AI-driven catalyst that enhances and completes the reactions, making them more efficient and cost-effective.
Reference: “In-situ dehydrogenation of lignin-based jet fuel: A novel and sustainable liquid organic hydrogen carrier” by Andrew S. Lipton, Terak Ibrahim, William Schwartz, Rafal Gieleciak, Dequan Xiao and Bin Yang, 14 December 2024, International Journal of Hydrogen Energy.
DOI: 10.1016/j.ijhydene.2024.12.082
Funding for the work came from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy and its Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technologies Office.