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Updated: Mar 13, 2026

Reducing Willow Wood Fuel Emission by Low Temperature Microwave Assisted Hydrothermal Carbonization
Published on: May 19, 2019
Wax: A benign hydrogen-storage material that rapidly releases H2-rich gases through microwave-assisted catalytic
S Gonzalez-Cortes1, D R Slocombe1,2, T Xiao1
1King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology Centre of Excellence in Petrochemicals, Inorganic Chemistry Laboratory, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford, OX1 3QR, UK.
Abstract:
Hydrogen is often described as the fuel of the future, especially for application in hydrogen powered fuel-cell vehicles (HFCV's). However, its widespread implementation in this role has been thwarted by the lack of a lightweight, safe, on-board hydrogen storage material. Here we show that benign, readily-available hydrocarbon wax is capable of rapidly releasing large amounts of hydrogen through microwave-assisted catalytic decomposition. This discovery offers a new material and system for safe and efficient hydrogen storage and could facilitate its application in a HFCV. Importantly, hydrogen storage materials made of wax can be manufactured through completely sustainable processes utilizing biomass or other renewable feedstocks.
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