IIT Guwahati research team develops catalyst to produce Green Hydrogen fuel from Methyl Alcohol

Researchers at the Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati have developed a catalyst that can release hydrogen gas from wood alcohol, with no side production of carbon dioxide. Beyond being an easy and environmentally safe process, the method produces formic acid, a useful industrial chemical. This development makes methanol a promising ‘Liquid Organic Hydrogen Carrier’ (LOHC) and contributes to the concept of the hydrogen-methanol economy.Explaining the significance of their work, Dr Akshai Kumar said, “In methanol-reforming, in stark contrast to well-reported catalytic systems that act like Brahmastra and result in complete destruction to carbon dioxide, the current work involves a smart strategy to design pincer catalysts that selectively produce high-value formic acid and clean-burning hydrogen.”