Top miner mulls palladium-based catalysts for hydrogen energy

Alternative energy sources are on the rise, and hydrogen-based technologies are expected to play a key role in the energy transition. Last week, technology company IDTechEx predicted in its report that the Global blue hydrogen market is expected to reach $34 billion by 2033, market research firm IDTechEx said in a report.

The hydrogen energy technology is based on electrochemical cells using hydrogen and oxygen to generate electricity, as well as water and heat as byproducts. Fuel cells use catalysts, most commonly platinum or iridium, to accelerate reaction between hydrogen and oxygen without being consumed.

However, metals used as catalysts may be different, and Russian miner Nornickel, the world’s largest producer of palladium, announced this week it was cooperating with scientists to make the first prototype of a palladium-based catalyst — nanosized material for membrane electrode assemblies used in the electrolysis of hydrogen.

Palladium has proved to be more efficient in catalysts than other palladium group metals due to its extraordinarily strong chemical resistance, the company stressed.

“We have every chance of emerging as one of key players in this industry, which is desperately looking for innovative products such as the one we are currently working on,” Nornickel’s vice president for innovations, Vitaly Busko, said.

Nornickel is now analyzing the viability of applying palladium to the cathode and anode of a hydrogen-oxygen fuel cell and a proton-exchange membrane electrolyser.

For the first catalyst prototype, Nornickel’s team used third-party precursors. In terms of its properties, the catalyst is not inferior to the commercially available products. The company plans to test its prototypes in the Chinese market to decide whether the commercial production would be viable. In accordance with the research plan, next prototypes and the first sample precursors will come on stream this year.

The company also eyes entering other hydrogen energy segments such as membrane technologies for making, storing and transporting high-purity hydrogen.

Large producers of hydrogen catalysts also join their forces with scientists to improve efficiency of their products, experimenting with various metals. So, scientists from the US-based Rice University announced in October they had developed a nickel-stabilized, ruthenium dioxide (Ni-RuO2) anode catalyst for proton exchange membrane (PEM) water electrolysis. According to scientists, the ruthenium is a promising alternative to the more rare and expensive iridium, commonly used anode catalyst for electrolysis.

Catalyst makers also pay attention to the shapes of the details in the catalytic reactors. The world’s largest chemicals producer BASF recently introduced 3D-printing-based open structure technology to reduce pressure drop across the reactor and increase surface area, significantly improving the catalysts’ performance.