Researchers have discovered a potential new way of generating hydrogen so that it remains a clean fuel.

The research builds on the basis that using sunlight to split water into its separate parts is currently the cleanest way to extract the hydrogen and could be used to fuel hydrogen-powered vehicles, according to Fuel Cell Today.

The mechanical solar water splitting device, developed at Sandia National Laboratories, works by using a chemical catalyst to speed up the process of breaking down water molecules.

A horizontal stack of metal oxide rings, known as the Counter Rotating Ring Receiver Reactor Recuperator, are exposed to sunlight so that oxygen is removed. The rings are rotated through cold water, picking up oxygen from the water and leaving hydrogen.

The research is an important step forward in the development of clean hydrogen and it is hoped that the system could produce hydrogen gas for use in fuel cell technology.

Ÿ Adfero Ltd