Hydrogen has been identified as one of the energy vector suitable for the decarbonisation of mobility, and several domestic heating, and energy-intensive industrial sectors.
However, hydrogen can not be extracted, but can only be obtained from different raw materials by different processes. Depending on the raw material(s) and the process employed for its production, hydrogen is usually classified as brown (grey), blue, and green. Brown hydrogen is produced along with CO2 emissions, usually starting from fossil-derived raw materials, blue hydrogen relies on the same process as brown hydrogen, along with carbon capture and storage (CCS), thus decreasing CO2 emissions. Finally, green hydrogen is carbon-free since obtained from renewable raw materials (even water) and renewable energy.
Whatever the color of hydrogen, more and more efficient processes are highly desirable. BIKE project focuses on the development of the next generation of bimetallic catalysts. Bimetallic catalysts are promising materials since the synergy between two metals can lead to enhanced catalytic performance since the modification of monometallic catalysts with secondary metals could enhance catalyst activity, selectivity, and stability.
The BIKE approach is applied to three different industrially relevant green and blue hydrogen production processes: A) Steam Reforming of bio-gas/bio-methane; B) Aqueous Phase Reforming of Liquid Renewable Feedstocks; and C) Anion Exchange Membrane Water Electrolysis. These applications have been selected due to their importance in sustainable hydrogen production, and to test and validate the next generation bimetallic catalysts under different conditions, allowing to exploit and validate the reliability of the next generation bimetallic catalysts derived by the BIKE.
In BIKE we propose a novel approach based on the combination of enabling state-of-the-art tools, predictive modelling, advanced characterization, knowledge based design innovative catalyst preparation, and explorative testing, in a single methodology to fully exploit the added value of bimetallic catalysts in a synergistic way. Consequently, BIKE next generation bimetallic catalysts are expected to exhibit superior performance by design.
At the end of the project BIKE has trained 14 young scientists to master and to combine the various state-of-the-art and emerging methodologies for the rational development of bimetallic catalysts to improve current hydrogen production processes and, finally, to implement them in an industrial context; three sets of catalysts (one per each hydrogen production process) have passed lab-scale KPIs and have been scaled up, two sets have been tested in industrial labs, and one set, namely Fe-Co bimetallic electrocatalysts, met the industrial KPIs and its exploitation is currently under evaluation; 16 peer reviewed open access scientific papers have been published.
