A catalytic cycle that enables crude hydrogen separation, storage and transportation

Yue Chen, Xiao Kong, Chengsheng Yang, Yuhe Liao, Ge Gao, Rui Ma, Mi Peng, Weipeng Shao, Heng Zheng, Hui Zhang, Xin Pan, Fan Yang, Yulei Zhu, Zhi Liu, Yong Cao, Ding Ma (), Xinhe Bao and Yifeng Zhu ()
Additional contact information
Yue Chen: Fudan University
Xiao Kong: University of Shanghai for Science and Technology
Chengsheng Yang: Fudan University
Yuhe Liao: Chinese Academy of Sciences
Ge Gao: Fudan University
Rui Ma: Zhejiang Normal University
Mi Peng: Peking University
Weipeng Shao: ShanghaiTech University
Heng Zheng: The Southwest Research and Design Institute of the Chemical Industry
Hui Zhang: Chinese Academy of Sciences
Xin Pan: Chinese Academy of Sciences
Fan Yang: ShanghaiTech University
Yulei Zhu: Chinese Academy of Sciences
Zhi Liu: ShanghaiTech University
Yong Cao: Fudan University
Ding Ma: Peking University
Xinhe Bao: Fudan University
Yifeng Zhu: Fudan University

Nature Energy, 2025, vol. 10, issue 8, 971-980

Abstract: Abstract Industrially, hydrogen production often relies on carbon-based resources, necessitating the separation of hydrogen from impurities such as CO, CO2, hydrocarbons and N2. Traditional purification methods involve complicated and energy-intensive sequential conversion and removal of these impurities. Here we introduce a reversible catalytic cycle based on the interconversion between γ-butyrolactone and 1,4-butanediol over an inverse Al2O3/Cu catalyst, enabling efficient hydrogen separation and storage from crude hydrogen feeds. This process could transform crude hydrogen feeds containing over 50% impurities into pure hydrogen at low temperature. The low impurity affinity and high dispersion of inverse Al2O3/Cu facilitate catalytic crude and waste hydrogen separations previously considered unachievable. This approach avoids the need for expensive pressure swing adsorption or membrane systems in liquid organic hydrogen carriers, showing great potential for large-scale applications in crude hydrogen or industrial tail gas utilization processes. By providing a low-risk, energy-efficient alternative, this strategy supports the global transition from grey/blue hydrogen to green hydrogen.

Date: 2025
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DOI: 10.1038/s41560-025-01806-9

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