Energy Storage: Hydrogen Generation from Formic Acid by Ruthenium Catalyst

Ziv Treigerman, Institute of Chemistry, Hebrew University Of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel
Yoel Sasson, Institute Of Chemistry, Hebrew University Of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel

Electrical energy is an integral part of our everyday life used to facilitate and improve its quality. Over the years, scientists have tried to develop new production methods and sustainable alternatives to the highly consumed fossil fuels. Among the various replacements that attracted their attention was hydrogen gas, due to its ability to convert chemical to electrical energy. One of the most abundant sources for the generation of H₂ is formic acid.

Here we present a catalytic reaction for the generation of hydrogen from formic acid in high conversions, minimum time, under mild conditions and relatively low costs. This improved method takes us a step forward towards designing a sustainable commercial process.