Hydrogen Could Be The Secret To Unlimited Energy—And Scientists Just Found A New Way To Unlock It

Researchers have been trying to find a more efficient method for pulling hydrogen out of water. Hydrogen storage can energize power grids. Now scientists are turning to wastewater as a viable source of hydrogen. They have discovered a way to extract hydrogen more cleanly than before. This new method could cut costs of hydrogen energy significantly, while finding a new use for wastewater, enabling this environmentally friendly alternative to take off.

The rise of hydrogen as a green energy fuel is more than half a millennium in the making. In 1520, Swiss physician and alchemist Philippus Aureolus Paracelsus first collected the then unknown gas after dissolving metals with sulfuric acid. In the middle of the 19th century, Welsh physicist Sir William Grove developed the first hydrogen battery, or "gas voltaic battery" as he called it.

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In modern times, scientists have been working feverishly to develop hydrogen into a true clean energy contender, a much-needed complement to fast-growing green technologies such as wind and solar power. While the benefits of hydrogen-powered cars are obvious, green hydrogen could help clean up industries that are too power-hungry to rely solely on batteries—including cargo ships and aircraft transport.

But even with centuries of knowledge, we still don’t have reliable ways to create green hydrogen at low cost.

Hydrogen comes in all kinds of "colors." Grey hydrogen is produced using methane or coal while blue hydrogen uses natural gas. Green hydrogen uses renewable resources, meaning it’s the most environmentally friendly but the most expensive to produce.

Cleaning up hydrogen production is only half the battle. The electrolysis process typically requires highly purified water. Previous research has shown promising results using saltwater for electrolysis, but a new study led by scientists at Princeton University analyzes wastewater as a supply source for the hydrogen fuel industry.

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"Hydrogen infrastructure generally competes with local fresh water use," Zhiyong Jason Ren, a senior author of the study, said in a press statement. "But every town has a wastewater treatment plant, and that’s a very distributed source of water for the hydrogen economy."

Ren and his team rely on sulfuric acid to prepare wastewater for electrolysis. In typical conditions, calcium and magnesium build up on the proton exchange membrane. Acidifying the water first creates "a rich source of protons that outcompete other ions, maintaining ion conductivity, sustaining electrical current and enabling continuous hydrogen production," according to a Princeton University press statement.

This addition to the electrolysis process increased electrolyzer stability from eight hours to 300 hours. It also reduced production costs by nearly 47 percent and lowered energy intensity by 62 percent.

The acid is recirculated and contained within the system.

With A.I. data centers, droughts, and growing pressure on freshwater resources, finding alternative sources for green hydrogen is becoming critical. By leveraging saltwater and treated water, reliable and cost-competitive green hydrogen may finally become viable.