Scientists Make Incredible Breakthrough That Could Transform Energy Sector: 'It Could Play A Significant Role'

Researchers at the Ulsan Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST) in Ulsan, South Korea, recently developed an innovative new procedure to extract pure hydrogen from ammonia, employing a ball milling technique that requires far less energy than most current methods.

Conventional means of breaking apart the nitrogen-hydrogen compound ammonia rely on temperatures of up to 1,112 degrees Fahrenheit, making for an energy-intensive process overall. The additional steps required to purify the extracted hydrogen complicate the ordeal and ramp up its financial costs, according to a report from Interesting Engineering.

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The ball milling alternative, as published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society, works by adding ammonia gas and powdered silicon into a sealed ball mill and shaking the container to activate the silicon powder, which spontaneously decomposes the ammonia.

Unlike standard techniques, the ball milling method doesn't necessitate temperatures higher than 122 degrees Fahrenheit—and, more importantly, lends itself to the automatic separation of nitrogen and hydrogen. According to Interesting Engineering, the nitrogen immediately reacts with the activated silicon and forms the solid compound silicon nitride, preventing it from mingling with the newly released hydrogen.

Since a high-heat extraction procedure demands a substantial amount of electricity—typically generated through pollution-heavy combustion processes that take quite the environmental toll—establishing less energy-intensive alternatives like ball milling can reduce the strain on our planet.

What's more, the UNIST researchers proposed the use of silicon recovered from old solar panels in lieu of commercial powdered silicon, creating an opportunity to repurpose materials that have otherwise outlived their use. While the current rate of photovoltaic waste production is a growing issue, recycling these end-of-life solar cells into energy-efficient hydrogen extraction can help put a dent in those numbers.

"Using Si recovered from waste solar panels, the process performs comparably to using commercial silicon powder, demonstrating its viability as a sustainable recycling technology," explained UNIST Professor Jong-Beom Baek, as relayed by Tech Xplore. "It could play a significant role in managing the over 80 million tons of photovoltaic waste projected by 2050."