(222a) Low-Cost Hydrogen Storage and Capture with Aluminum Formate

Long-duration storage of hydrogen is necessary for coupling renewable H₂ with stationary fuel cell power applications. In this presentation, I will discuss how aluminum formate (ALF), which adopts the ReO₃-type structure, is shown to have remarkable H₂ storage performance at non-cryogenic (>120 K) temperatures and low pressures. The most promising performance of ALF is found between 120 K and 160 K and 10 bar to 20 bar. These storage attributes, which when combined with ALF’s low cost (≈ 2 $/kg ALF), make ALF alluring for grid scale hydrogen storage. I will discuss our published work, which illustrates ALF’s H₂ adsorption performance over the 77 K to 296 K temperature range using gas isotherms, in-situ neutron powder diffraction, DFT calculations, as well as technoeconomic analysis (TEA). This work illustrates ALF’s competitive performance for long-duration storage versus compressed hydrogen and leading metal-organic frameworks (MOFs). Specifically, in regards to our TEA, it is shown that ALF’s storage capacity, when combined with a temperature/pressure swing process, has advantages versus compressed H₂ at a fraction of the pressure (15 bar versus 350 bar). Given ALF’s performance in the 10 bar to 20 bar regime under moderate cooling, it is particularly promising for use in safe storage systems serving fuel cells.