The global need of eco-friendly energy and its distribution system is growing but its limitation of low spatial efficiency in gas state is yet to be overcome. Therefore liquid or ammonia-based carriers such as Liquid Organic Hydrogen Carrier (LOHC) is being researched. Hydrogen may be confined in liquid state carriers in ordinary temperature and air pressure and extracted when needed.

LOHC research is ongoing analysis of various candidate materials lacking quantitative comparison index. Leading groups like Japan and Germany is having different pools of materials of choice. Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST President: Yoon Seok-jin) announced that research team of Doctor Kim Yong-min of the Center for Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Research has developed a platform that can compare hydrogen extraction capability of LOHC in a multi angular view in the same condition to filter superior candidate material.

Schematic diagram of LOHC and hydrogen extraction catalyst screening benchmark research process [Photo provided = KIST]
Schematic diagram of LOHC and hydrogen extraction catalyst screening benchmark research process [Photo provided = KIST]
LOHC candidate materials have been evaluated in different conditions making it difficult to make direct performance comparison. KIST research team developed technology that semi-automatically analyzes materials in different extraction conditions of catalyst and reactant density temperature pressure etc.

The research team selected materials with highest probability of commercialization and evaluated its hydrogen extraction catalyst reaction attribute. One of the representative LOHCs methylcyclohexane (MCH) was evaluated to be marketable by showing high reactivity and few byproducts. Monobenzyl toluene is already commercially used as a heat transfer material which refers to high economic efficiency and stability and has shown high reactivity which makes it a viable choice. Especially biphenyl-based eutectic mixture (BPDM) LOHC that has been developed by KIST in 2017 has shown about 20% faster hydron extraction speed compared to other LOHCs in same condition. The material has competence in hydrogen car and trains which has limited fuel tanks and requires fast extraction.

The platform may also evaluate hydrogen extracting catalyst. It is actively applicated in development of domestic catalyst that has low rate of precious metal composition and low temperature flexibility conducted by Korean researchers and companies together.

Doctor Kim said that the platform is exclusively developed by Korean researchers and it is applicable in choosing superior LOHC and catalysts. He added that efforts are made to spread usage of the platform such as deriving international research projects and to realize early commercialization of LOHC technology by planning industry-university-institute collaboration consortium.

The research was supported by the hydrogen energy innovative technology development project of the Ministry of Science and ICT (Minister: Lim Hye-sook) and the result was published in ‘Energy Conversion and Management’ a magazine of authority in name of ‘Hydrogen production from homocyclic liquid organic hydrogen carriers (LOHCs): Benchmarking studies and energy-economic analyses’.