Synthesis of Clean Hydrogen Gas from Waste Plastic at Zero Net Cost
Kevin M. Wyss, Karla J. Silva, Ksenia V. Bets, Wala A. Algozeeb, Carter Kittrell, Carolyn Teng, Chi Hun Choi, Weiyin Chen, Jacob L. Beckham, Boris I. Yakobson, James M. Tour
Abstract
Abstract Hydrogen gas (H 2 ) is the primary storable fuel for pollution‐free energy production, with over 90 million tonnes used globally per year. More than 95% of H 2 is synthesized through metal‐catalyzed steam methane reforming that produces 11 tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) per tonne H 2 . “Green H 2 ” from water electrolysis using renewable energy evolves no CO 2 , but costs 2–3× more, making it presently economically unviable. Here catalyst‐free conversion of waste plastic into clean H 2 along with high purity graphene is reported. The scalable procedure evolves no CO 2 when deconstructing polyolefins and produces H 2 in purities up to 94% at high mass yields. The sale of graphene byproduct at just 5% of its current value yields H 2 production at a negative cost. Life‐cycle assessment demonstrates a 39–84% reduction in emissions compared to other H 2 production methods, suggesting the flash H 2 process to be an economically viable, clean H 2 production route.