AISTDepartment of Energy and Environment
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AIST : Global Zero Emission Research Center (GZR)Research TeamsCarbon-based Energy Carrier Research Team

Carbon-based Energy Carrier Research Team

CO2-free fuel and CO2 recycling
Developing a Hydrogen Carrier System for CO2 Utilization

We are engaged in the research and development of energy (hydrogen) storage technologies based on interconversion between CO2 and formic acid/methanol, for CO2 utilization.

Carbon-based Energy Carrier Research Team

Research themes

  • Development of highly efficient catalysts that enable formic acid/methanol to be produced through carbon dioxide reduction (i.e., hydrogenation, electro-reduction), and that allow hydrogen to be produced from formic acid
  • Investigation into technologies for producing high-pressure hydrogen from formic acid

Concept for social contributions and implementation

Establishment of a hydrogen transport, storage and usage method using formic acid/methanol.

Research Team Leader / Greetings

Prime Senior Researcher (Leader, Carbon-based Energy Carrier Research Team)

HIMEDA Yuichiro

Facilities and infrastructure are crucial for the implementation of energy carrier technology using formic acid/methanol. We need the help of many different industrial partners in our research going forward. We believe that these collaborations will provide new technologies for generating high-pressure hydrogen from formic acid, and for supplying it to fuel cell vehicles (FCVs).

HIMEDA Yuichiro

Members

Senior Researcher

ONISHI Naoya

Member

ANDO Yuji

Member

KAWANAMI Hajime

Member

HINOKUMA Satoshi

AIST Postdoctoral Researcher

MAJI Babulal

Technical Staff

KOKUBO Masako

Technical Staff

HIROSE Takuji

The aims in this team are development of highly efficient catalysts for interconversion between CO2 and formic acid/methanol (i.e., hydrogenation, electro-reduction, and dehydrogenation) and the high-pressure reaction process.

Production of Formic Acid and methanol by Reduction of CO2

The catalyst that we have developed showed the highest performance for CO2 reduction (hydrogenation, electro-reduction) to formic acid and methanol. These catalysts can convert CO2 with high energy efficiency under mild reaction conditions.

High-Pressure H2 Production from Formic Acid

The high-performance catalysts which can supply high-pressure (> 1000 atm) and CO-free H2 by heating (<100 oC) of formic acid was developed. In addition, gas-liquid phase separation can easily separate of CO2 from the high-pressure system. The high-pressure H2 production from formic acid is original AIST’s technology.

Research

Research List

Liu, X.; Dong, W.-Z.; Li, Y.; Yu, X.; Wang, W.-H.; Himeda, Y.; Bao, M., Efficient β-alkylation of secondary alcohols to α-substituted ketones catalyzed by functionalized Ir complexes via borrowing hydrogen in water, Org. Chem. Front. 2023, 10, 355-362, 10.1039/D2QO01541B

Published NOV 22 2022
Papers

Wang, L.; Wang, L.; Yuan, S.; Song, L.; Ren, H.; Xu, Y.; He, M.; Zhang, Y.; Wang, H.; Huang, Y.; Wei, T.; Zhang, J.; Himeda, Y.; Fan, Z., Covalently-bonded single-site Ru-N2 knitted into covalent triazine frameworks for boosting photocatalytic CO2 reduction, Appl. Catal. B-Environ. 2023, 322, 122097, 10.1016/j.apcatb.2022.122097

Published OCT 25 2022
Papers

Onishi, N.; Himeda, Y., Homogeneous catalysts for CO2 hydrogenation to methanol and methanol dehydrogenation to hydrogen generation, Coord. Chem. Rev. 2022, 472, 214767, 10.1016/j.ccr.2022.214767

Published AUG 24 2022
Papers

Liu, M.; Xu, Y.; Meng, Y.; Wang, L.; Wang, H.; Huang, Y.; Onishi, N.; Wang, L.; Fan, Z.; Himeda, Y., Heterogeneous Catalysis for Carbon Dioxide Mediated Hydrogen Storage Technology Based on Formic Acid, Adv. Energy Mater. 2022, 12(31), 2200817, 10.1002/aenm.202200817

Published JUN 07 2022
Papers
Research List
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AIST : Global Zero Emission Research Center (GZR)Research TeamsCarbon-based Energy Carrier Research Team