"Press onto the tube with hydrogen paste
Hydrogen is considered a key element of the energy transition. In the transport sector, however, use has so far been limited to larger vehicles with pressure tanks. Researchers from the Fraunhofer Institute in Dresden have now developed a method with which hydrogen can be bound into a paste under normal pressure - non-explosive and versatile. In the future, the “power paste” will be used in particular to power small vehicles such as e-scooters.
The power paste from the tube can be used to produce gaseous hydrogen when it comes into contact with water. Many applications are conceivable. Photo: Fraunhofer IFAM
What are the benefits of hydrogen paste?
Entire sectors of industry are pinning their hopes on hydrogen; many experts consider the highly combustible gas to be the fuel of the future. Hydrogen is also increasingly showing its potential in the transport sector. Because with hydrogen in the tank, not a gram of carbon dioxide is produced, only water vapor. However, it is complex to use - simply because of the fact that hydrogen tanks in fuel cell vehicles have to withstand a pressure of 700 bar. For comparison: a car tire has a pressure of 2.5 bar.
Hydrogen paste, on the other hand, significantly simplifies the use of hydrogen to power vehicles. The researchers from the Fraunhofer Institute for Manufacturing Engineering and Applied Materials Research (IFAM) in Dresden have a trick: They use magnesium to bind hydrogen to it. Magnesium is one of the most common elements and is easily accessible. The result is a mass reminiscent of toothpaste. In order to operate a vehicle with it, the hydrogen-containing paste can come from a replaceable cartridge, for example. While driving, a stamp presses the required amount of paste out of the cartridge. Only after adding water does the gaseous hydrogen arise, which ultimately generates electricity for the drive in a fuel cell.
A big advantage of hydrogen paste is its stability, which allows it to be stored for years. “With our hydrogen paste, hydrogen can be chemically stored at room temperature and ambient pressure and released again as needed,” explains Dr. Marcus Vogt, scientist at IFAM. The hydrogen paste is perfect for small vehicles in particular – it is light, easy to transport and can be replaced quickly.
The refueling process is extremely simple: Instead of going to a gas station, drivers of scooters or scooters, for example, simply change a cartridge and also fill tap water into a water tank - done. What's special: Only about half of the hydrogen produced on the vehicle comes from the paste, the other half comes from the water carried. It is not a problem if small vehicles equipped with hydrogen paste in the cartridge are left in the sun for hours in the summer heat, because hydrogen paste only decomposes above around 250 degrees Celsius.
What is hydrogen paste made of?
The starting material for hydrogen paste is powdered magnesium - one of the most common elements and therefore a readily available raw material. At 350 degrees Celsius and five to six times atmospheric pressure, the magnesium reacts with hydrogen to form magnesium hydride. Add esters and metal salt and the hydrogen paste is ready.
Hydrogen paste is non-toxic, safe and has a very long shelf life. It is characterized above all by a very high energy density in relation to weight and volume. The energy content is more than ten times that of modern lithium-ion batteries.
Storing hydrogen in magnesium hydride offers the advantage that hydrogen does not have to be cooled significantly and compressed to 700 bar.
Materials researchers at the Helmholtz Center in Geesthacht (HZG) have been working for several years on appropriate techniques to eliminate pressure tanks in fuel cell vehicles in favor of magnesium hydride tanks. The scientists from IFAM, on the other hand, are targeting small vehicles with their “power paste” from the cartridge.
What applications is hydrogen paste suitable for?
Hydrogen paste could not only extend the range of e-scooters and e-scooters. It could also be used in so-called range extenders in electric cars or delivery vehicles, where they could generate electricity via a fuel cell to increase the range. Drones could also be powered with it. With conventional batteries, the flight time is currently limited to a maximum of half an hour, with hydrogen paste it could be several hours - helpful, for example, for
inspections with drones in the energy industry .
Other application examples are conceivable: For example, the paste could provide the necessary energy for a refrigerator, coffee machine, heater or stove using a fuel cell when camping. Possible areas of application also include backup and emergency energy systems, portable electronic devices and chargers, sensors, probes and buoys. Due to the rapid availability of large amounts of energy, the low weight and the independence from the power grid, the technology is particularly suitable for grid-independent and mobile applications.
While gaseous hydrogen requires a costly infrastructure, hydrogen paste could also be used wherever such an infrastructure is lacking. “Any gas station could offer hydrogen paste in cartridges or canisters,” says researcher Dr. Marcus Vogt from IFAM.
When will the hydrogen paste come onto the market?
The development of the hydrogen paste is part of the H2PROGRESS project , which in turn is part of the HYPOS innovation project funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF). In addition, the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWi) is supporting the further development of the “Powerpaste” from the Fraunhofer Institute IFAM.
The institute would like to complete the construction of a production facility at the Fraunhofer Project Center for Energy Storage and Systems (ZESS) in 2023, where four tons of the hydrogen paste will be produced annually. The production facility was already planned for the end of 2021, but had to be postponed due to the pandemic and the war in Ukraine. Now the IFAM scientists would like to push the envelope to advance the use of hydrogen paste and test it in detail."
https://www.enbw.com/unternehmen/eco-journal/wasserstoffpaste.html
The only comment here is: It is true that magnesium is common,
but it is currently a scarce raw material and classified as critical raw material (90% comes from China). But if a circular economy is built in it might work. The energy density and how much energy has to be put into it is of course an open question for me. Nevertheless, all alternatives that are conceivable in practice and not just in theory are helpful I think.
I don't know if you've noticed.
Sweden will go back into nuclear power with full force. They expect demand to rise from the 5TWh to 75TWh in 2045. You know that most Swedes don't like wind turbines and are fighting against them everywhere. The minister who initiated this behind the back of the government coalition is the environment minister and at 27a the youngest ever.
As additional information it is perhaps interesting to know that the largest project for the small reactors or mini-reactors has failed. The costs were almost twice as high and so it was no longer worthwhile.
..
time to get some ground covered here.. literally and figuratively! 
www.vda.de
Sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt. It took me a while to press send. One round for you!
