What is it about?
In this article, we explore how to improve the way clean hydrogen is produced from waste and biomass, using a combination of light (such as solar) and sound waves. We know that hydrogen is a very promising alternative to replace polluting fuels, but its production can still be slow or costly. What we do is review how this technology called sonophotocatalysis can make the process faster, more efficient, and more sustainable, especially when using carbon-based materials. We also analyse the challenges that still exist and what is needed for this technology to be applied on a large scale. Our goal is to contribute to the development of cleaner and more effective solutions for generating energy from waste, taking advantage of abundant and renewable resources.
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Why is it important?
We are tackling one of the major challenges of the energy transition: how to produce hydrogen in a cleaner, more efficient and accessible way, without relying on fossil fuels. What we are looking to do is take advantage of something we already have in abundance organic waste and biomass and use tools such as light and ultrasound to maximise its conversion into hydrogen. The value of this work lies not only in analysing what has already been done, but also in proposing clear ways to improve the process, making it faster, more stable and more adaptable to the use of inexpensive materials such as carbon-based ones. We believe that this approach can open up new possibilities for producing green hydrogen from what is normally discarded, bringing us closer to more sustainable and circular energy solutions.
Perspectives
Beyond the technical review, this work allowed me to reflect on how processes that seem very scientific or complex, such as sonophotocatalysis, can have a real impact on how we produce clean energy from what is normally discarded. I am excited to think that this type of research can bring concrete solutions to the energy and environmental challenges we face. If this article inspires other researchers or students to explore new ways to generate hydrogen more sustainably, then it will have been worth it.
Dr. Ramon Fernando Colmenares Quintero
Fundación Berstic and Universidad Cooperativa de Colombia
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Improving hydrogen generation from biomass and solid waste by combining sonophotocatalysis through carbon-based materials: Challenges and future perspectives, International Journal of Hydrogen Energy, February 2025, Elsevier,
DOI: 10.1016/j.ijhydene.2024.12.457.
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