RICHLAND, Wash. — Opening new pathways for sustainable energy production and generation, an international team of scientists has discovered a way to store and release volatile hydrogen using lignin-based jet fuel.
In newly published research led by Washington State University Professor Bin Yang, scientists demonstrated a new type of fluid that chemically binds hydrogen in a stable liquid form, called a lignin jet fuel-based liquid organic hydrogen carrier.
The January article in the International Journal of Hydrogen Energy details how researchers discovered the process using chemical reactions that produced aromatic carbons and hydrogen from lignin jet fuel—an experimental fuel developed by Yang’s lab based on lignin, an organic polymer found in plants.
“Hydrogen is a versatile energy carrier that could help the U.S. meet its targets for zero-emission mobility, integration of renewables, and decarbonization of industry,” he said.
The lightest element’s low density and explosive nature make storage and transport technically challenging, inefficient, and expensive.
“This new, lignin jet fuel-based technology could enable efficient, high-density hydrogen storage in an easy-to-handle sustainable aviation fuel, eliminating the need for pressurized tanks for storage and transport,” Yang said.
Researchers at WSU, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, the University of New Haven, and Natural Resources Canada collaborated on the project, which was published as “In-situ dehydrogenation of lignin-based jet fuel: A novel and sustainable liquid organic hydrogen carrier.”
Funding for the work came from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy and its Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technologies Office.
Next, WSU researchers will collaborate with scientists at the University of New Haven to design an AI-driven catalyst that enhances and completes the reactions, making them more efficient and cost-effective.
The discovery points to new uses for the lignin jet fuel developed at WSU by Yang, who previously tested a new continuous process that creates the fuel from agricultural waste. Experiments have shown that the sustainably produced fuel could increase engine performance and efficiency while dispensing with aromatics, the pollution-causing compounds found in conventional fuels.
“This innovation offers promising opportunities for compatibility with existing infrastructure and economic viability for scalable production,” Yang said. “It could help create a synergistic system that enhances the efficiency, safety, and ecological benefits of both sustainable aviation fuel and hydrogen technologies.”
Contact: Bin Yang, Professor, WSU Department of Biological Systems Engineering, bin.yang@wsu.edu