Hydrogen is critical to a clean energy future, but moving it around is a major hurdle. A lightweight gas, it’s costly to store and transport, often requiring extreme pressure or temperatures.
To solve this, researchers have been turning to Liquid Organic Hydrogen Carriers (LOHCs)— special liquids that can safely store hydrogen. While the concept isn’t new, efficiently extracting hydrogen from LOHCs like methylcyclohexane (MCH) remains a challenge.
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Now, Monash University and Korean company SMU Airrane, a global leader in membrane commercialisation, are developing a semi-pilot membrane system that could finally crack the code. This could unlock hydrogen export across shipping routes and make clean hydrogen cheaper for industries.
This project uses a clever combination of custom-built membranes and catalysts to extract hydrogen at low temperatures, which means it’s cheaper, safer and uses much less energy than current methods. At Monash University, early proof-of-concept work has already shown this approach can work.
The Australian Government’s Global Connections Fund Bridging Grants program will now take the technology to the next level—scaling it up and testing it under real-world conditions.
The pilot hydrogen release system project will be tested at Monash University and CSIRO’s new Membrane Pilot Facility.
Monash Centre for Membrane Innovation director Professor Matthew Hill said, “We believe our membrane system is the missing link to supply-chain success—a way to cleanly and efficiently release hydrogen at the point of use, without relying on complex high-temperature processes.
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“Let’s say Australia produces hydrogen using solar power. Instead of liquefying or compressing it, we bond the hydrogen to a liquid carrier and send it off in regular fuel tankers—the same ones already used in the oil industry. Once it arrives, our system unlocks the hydrogen onsite and the empty carrier liquid is returned and reused. It’s clean, efficient and uses infrastructure we already have.”
The project is expected to be completed in 2026.
