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UNIST scientists have developed a new low-cost catalyst synthesis method that can efficiently decompose water into oxygen and hydrogen using residual yeast biomass. This system has high performance, and thus, the expense of creating hydrogen from the decomposition of water is expected to decrease further.
In addition, by covering the yeast-based support with ruthenium (Ru) and iron (Fe) based materials, they created another catalyst material that shows surprising performance in both hydrogen and oxygen generation.
Scientists focused on wasteful yeast biomass, as a catalyst material that will improve oxygen and hydrogen generation, while supplanting noble metal catalysts, for example, Pt or Ir. Since yeast is a living organism, it is rich in substances, for example, carbon (C), phosphorus (P), sulfur (S) and nitrogen (N).
Such materials can have an increase in electrical conductivity, and in addition, practical meetings that may contain different materials to help repair metal particles. This feature can make a suitable catalyst, eventually.
In the study, the research team has created two catalysts that promote the generation of hydrogen and oxygen, using the residual yeast as a catalyst support. They reported the production of hydrogen and oxygen in 1M potassium hydroxide using simple ruthenium atoms (RuSA) together with Ru nanoparticles (RuNP) integrated into MHC (RuSA + RuNPs @ MHC) as a cathode and magnetite (Fe3O4) compatible with MHC (Fe3O4 @ MHC) as an anode.
The RuSAs + RuNPs @ MHC catalyst outperforms the next-generation commercial platinum-on-carbon catalyst for the hydrogen evolution reaction in terms of overpotential, exchange current density, Tafel slope, and durability. Furthermore, compared to industrially adopted catalysts (i.e. iridium oxide), the Fe3O4 @ MHC catalyst exhibits excellent oxygen evolution reaction activity.
Scientists noted, “In particular, for splitting total water, a solar voltage of 1.74 V is required to drive ~ 30 mA, along with remarkable long-term stability in the presence (12 h) and absence (58 h) of light exposure outdoor solar as a promising strategy towards sustainable energy development. “
Distinguished Professor Kwang S. Kim (Korean National Honor Scientist) at UNIST School of Natural Sciences said: “Materials derived from yeast biomass can help develop efficient, ecological and economical catalysts to improve the sustainability of hydrogen production. Compared to coal and oil, residual yeast is an environmentally friendly, economical, and readily available biomass, and the study results suggest a new application for residual yeast biomass. ”
The research professor Jitendra N. Tiwari (Faculty of Natural Sciences, UNIST) has participated in this study as the corresponding co-author. The National Honor Scientists Program has supported it through the Korea National Research Foundation (NRF) and the Ministry of Science and ICT (MSIT).
Magazine reference:
- Carbon doped with multiple residual yeast biomass heteroatoms for sustained water division. DOI: 10.1038 / s41893-020-0509-6
