Hydrogen Storage Tank development - mechanochemical strategies for high-efficiency adsorbent materials.

• Grant number: 25/10804-7
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Doctorate
• Start date: September 01, 2025
• End date: August 31, 2028
• Field of knowledge: Engineering - Naval and Oceanic Engineering
• Principal Investigator: Gustavo Roque da Silva Assi
• Grantee: Eduardo Casarini
• Host Institution: Escola Politécnica (EP). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil
• Company: Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Escola Politécnica (EP)
• Associated research grant: 22/03698-8 - OTIC Offshore Technology Innovation Centre, AP.PCPE

Abstract

The work will identify the best ultraporous material to be placed in a hydrogen storage tank, in order to be transported by a ship. This material will be studied according to the literature of recent articles and the simulation and performance by the Monte Carlo method and the Physics team of USP. Once the best candidates for the application have been chosen (which mainly combine the best requirements of adsorption capacity, cost, manufacturing process and reduction of pollutant emissions), these candidates will be produced in the Nanomaterials and Catalysis Laboratory of the Chemistry Institute of USP by mechanochemical synthesis in a ball mill and duly characterized with the available techniques, such as PXRD, HR-TEM, EELS, EDS and nitrogen and hydrogen adsorption and desorption technique. After this characterization stage, the project will be upscaled by acquiring a twin-screw extruder capable of producing large quantities of these materials in order to use them in a tank of considerable size for repeated adsorption and desorption tests to identify the number of times these materials can be reused. Finally, the data will be compared to other known hydrogen storage techniques, such as liquid hydrogen storage, to evaluate its use in real transportation on a ship, with criteria such as cost, practicality, load capacity, cargo weight and process profitability. (AU)