Researchers at the University of Cantabria (UC) recently published a comprehensive review in the International Journal of Hydrogen Energy, titled “Hydrogen production from plastic waste processing: A review”. The article provides an overview of emerging technologies for hydrogen production from plastic waste.
The review highlights both the potential of plastic waste as a feedstock for low-carbon hydrogen and the key challenges that still need to be addressed, including energy and carbon efficiency, catalyst stability, process integration and economic feasibility.
The study compares a range of thermochemical and emerging approaches, including pyrolysis-based reforming, photo-reforming, electro-reforming and flash Joule heating. It also examines hydrogen purification through technologies such as pressure swing adsorption and membrane separation. The latter are areas in which researchers at UC have significant expertise and are particularly relevant to the technological development of PLAST4H2.
Complementing this broader perspective and building on UC’s expertise, a second scientific article was recently published in ACS Applied Polymer Materials, advancing knowledge on hydrogen separation membranes.
This study, titled “Hydrogen Valorization from Industrial Waste Streams Using Matrimid/LaNi5 Mixed Matrix Hollow Fiber Membranes”, presents a concrete advancement in the development of high-performance membraned for the recovery and purification of hydrogen from industrial waste streams.
Researchers developed mixed-matrix hollow fiber membranes by incorporating LaNi₅, a hydrogen-storage material, into a Matrimid® polymer matrix. The resulting membranes achieved 2.5 times higher hydrogen permeance than pristine Matrimid® fibers, while maintaining enhanced selectivity and stable performance during approximately 580 hours of continuous operation. In the context of PLAST4H2, this research represents an important step towards scalable hydrogen separation technologies, supporting the development of innovative pathways for the recovery and valorisation of hydrogen from waste streams.