Researchers see long

Dimethyl ether (DME) – a compound used as propellant in deodorant sprays – is a “hitherto underestimated” way to store and transport hydrogen over long distances, said researchers of the Forschungszentrum Jülich, the university Erlangen-Nuremberg (FAU) and Fraunhofer ISE in an article. In an analysis, the technology “showed considerable potential to outperform ammonia or methanol, which are intensively discussed as hydrogen vectors today,” they write in the article published in June. Per mass of transported DME, significantly more usable hydrogen is released than when using ammonia or methanol, write the institutes. Moreover, unlike ammonia and methanol, DME is non-toxic and therefore easier to handle. According to author Sebastian Thill, after transportation the hydrogen could be released at North Sea ports by means of steam reforming (a method for producing hydrogen and carbon monoxide). The second product of the reaction, CO2, can then be transported back to hydrogen production sites by the same ship, similar to the principle of the recyclable deposit bottle, and loaded with more hydrogen once again.

Hydrogen made from renewable sources is seen as essential for the path to climate neutrality by 2045, especially as a way to decarbonise industries such as steel, chemical and aviation. However, Germany will likely have to import much of the fuel due to unfavourable conditions for renewable electricity. While the short to mid-range transport of hydrogen via pipelines is seen as a viable solution to get renewable electricity-based hydrogen from very sunny or windy locations (for example in northern Africa) to consumption centres in Europe, long-distance transport is very contested due to the physics of the fuel. For example, gaseous hydrogen has a very high volume, and to liquefy it, it has to be cooled down to less than -250° Celsius. Instead of transporting pure hydrogen, the industry is looking for economic ways to transport derivatives: chemical compounds of hydrogen and other elements, for example ammonia. However, a lot of energy is lost during these conversion processes.

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