News

27 Jan

UNE speaks at the European Commission’s event on Knowledge Valorisation

On December 10, the stakeholder meeting organized by the European Commission on “Driving EU prosperity: The future of Knowledge Valorisation” took place in Brussels, with live streaming broadcast. The program, introduced by Maria Cristina Russo, Director Prosperity Directorate from DG Research and Innovation, included, among other topics, panels on Industry and Academia Co-Creation, Socially Responsible Licensing or Effective Management of Standards and Intellectual Property. UNE, the NICKEFFECT's partner for standardization, participated in this roundtable about Standardization and IP. UNE is the European standardization body with the largest number of participations in European research and innovation (R&I) projects, with around 120 funded ones, among which NICKEFFECT is one of those currently in progress. Fernando Utrilla, Head of the R&I Unit at UNE, conveyed to the event participants the best practices to take advantage of the benefits of standardization in these projects, as well as the lessons learned and recommendations to improve performance...

06 Jan

Catalyst degradation mechanisms in Proton Exchange Membrane Electrolysers

by Laura Cyrne

in Articles, News

Comments

Hydrogen is recognised as a clean energy carrier that could play a key role in reducing global carbon emissions. In Proton Exchange Membrane Water Electrolysers (PEM WE), the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) takes place at the cathode, where protons from the acidic electrolyte combine with electrons to form hydrogen gas. Catalysts are essential to this process, as they reduce the activation energy required for the reaction. Noble metals such as platinum are the benchmark materials for HER catalysts due to their exceptional activity and stability. However, their scarcity and high cost limit large-scale adoption. Non-noble catalysts, including transition metal-based materials such as nickel, molybdenum, and cobalt compounds, are attractive alternatives due to their lower cost and abundance. Despite these advantages, non-noble catalysts are more susceptible to degradation under the acidic conditions of PEM WE. The degradation of non-noble metal catalysts can arise from several processes, which often are interdependent. While the...

17 Dec

Ensuring the economic and environmental viability of fuel cell technologies through materials separation and recycling

by Laura Cyrne

in Articles, News

Comments

Recycling as a key of material circularity and societal acceptance Production of energy from renewable sources is one of the keys to face the ongoing environmental crisis. The intermittency of renewable energies (wind, solar) pushed the emergence of energy storage technologies and industries such as the battery industry for storage as electrical energy, or the hydrogen industry for storage as chemical energy. Hydrogen can be produced through water electrolysis during energy overproduction periods to be transported and used on a different location and time using fuel cells, and notably Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells (PEMFCs). These devices can convert hydrogen back into electricity and only emit water and heat, however, they rely on the use of raw materials that are expensive and can be critical or pose environmental issues such as platinum group metals, and perfluorinated polymers. There is a necessity to guarantee the recyclability of the constitutive materials of new...

UNE speaks at the European Commission’s event on Knowledge Valorisation

Catalyst degradation mechanisms in Proton Exchange Membrane Electrolysers

Ensuring the economic and environmental viability of fuel cell technologies through materials separation and recycling

Social Media

Policies