A South Australian project to develop new green hydrogen technology will progress after a strategic stock exchange investment by Fortescue Future Industries.
Flinders University Professor Gunther Andersson will continue to collaborate with a research group led by the University of Adelaide's Professor Greg Metha to advance the Sparc Technologies project to enhance the future of clean energy under the Sparc Green Hydrogen Project.
This follows Sparc Technologies Ltd (ASX: SPN) entering into binding agreements with global green energy company Fortescue Future Industries Pty Ltd (an entity of Fortescue Metals Group Ltd ASX: FMG) and the University of Adelaide to form the Sparc Hydrogen Pty Ltd Joint Venture (Sparc Hydrogen).
Sparc Hydrogen is seeking to deliver a unique process with the aim of producing commercially viable green hydrogen via photocatalysis. The Sparc Green Hydrogen technology was developed by the research team in recent years.
The Sparc Green Hydrogen Project will seek to further develop a process known as 'Thermo-Photocatalysis', which employs the sun's radiation and thermal properties to convert water into hydrogen and oxygen.
Adopting this process to produce green hydrogen means that renewable energy from wind farms and/or photovoltaic solar panels and expensive electrolysers are not needed for this particular approach.
As such, capital and operating expenditure is anticipated to be significantly lower than electrolysis and other forms of hydrogen production currently in use. This technology can potentially be adopted remotely and for onsite use, reducing the reliance on long distance hydrogen transportation or electricity transmission.
Professor Andersson's research group focuses on photocatalysis based on metal clusters on surfaces, and liquid and polymer surfaces and interfaces. His team works with instruments for electron spectroscopy (MIES, XPS, UPS, IPES), ion scattering spectroscopy (NICISS) and infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). His PhD applied ion scattering spectroscopy on liquid surfaces.
In other commercialisation news, the Federal Government announced a new $698,420 recycling and clean energy grant for 3RT Holdings Pty Ltd – another company Flinders University College of Science and Engineering experts are collaborating on further development of its technology which converts low value wood residue into a new hardwood with the same properties as 100-year-old timber.
The 3RT (Recycle, Reduce and Reuse Timber) products provide a new sustainable source of quality wood while protecting native forests.
The funding will support a $3.3 million project to build large-scale manufacturing capability for 3RT's innovative and patented technology from their Novar Gardens operations.
Professor David Lewis and Associate Professor Jonathan Campbell were finalists in the 2021 SA Science Excellence and Innovation Awards for their long-running work with the company.
