A Critical Assessment of Aluminium-Water Reaction for On-Site Hydrogen-Powered Applications

Abstract

Over the last three decades, there has been a tremendous amount of research interest around the world in developing sophisticated technologies that may enable the domestic hydrogen economy. If the cost of producing hydrogen falls far below that of fossil fuels, it will be able to run the transportation, construction, and energy sectors. The vision of a decarbonized future in which hydrogen is used as a common fuel will be realized soon through infrastructural developments. Aluminium (Al) and water react to produce hydrogen on-site, which is a simple and affordable process. Two benefits come from this: first, it eliminates the need for additional logistics for the storage and shipping of hydrogen; second, water is easily accessible in the field and Al is safer to use. Although this technique appears intriguing, a major barrier to its wide-spread applications is the development of a passive oxide layer on the Al surface. The advantages and disadvantages of various Al activation techniques are covered in this review article. In addition to analyzing the effectiveness and technical issues of the Al-water reaction techniques used to power on-site hydrogen-powered fuel cell vehicles, it gives a critical examination of key parameters that derive the Al-water reaction mechanism.