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This story was originally published by the Guardian and is reproduced here as part of the Climate Desk collaboration.
Researchers have created a solar-powered device that produces hydrogen fuel directly from moisture in the air.
According to its inventors, the prototype produces hydrogen with greater than 99 percent purity and can work in air that is as dry as 4 percent relative humidity. The device would allow hydrogen to be produced without carbon emissions even in regions where water on land is scarce, they say.
Hydrogen is a zero-carbon fuel that yields only water as a byproduct when combusted. However, pure hydrogen is not abundant in nature and producing it requires energy input. Large-scale production commonly involves fossil fuels that generate carbon emissions.
The study’s lead author and a senior lecturer in chemical…