Cost Efficiency Analysis of H2 Production from Formic Acid by Molecular Catalysts

The development of low-carbon technologies that will facilitate the efficient use of hydrogen (H2) as an energy carrier is a critical requirement of contemporary society. To this end, it is anticipated that the cost of H2 production will become a key factor in tandem with production efficiency, process safety, and transport. Much effort has been made to create and develop new, reversible, and sustainable H2 storage systems. Among current techniques, formic acid (FA) has been identified as an efficient energy carrier for H2 storage. Numerous homogeneous catalysts based on transition metals with high activity and selectivity have been reported for selective FA dehydrogenation. In this review, we outline the recent advances in transition-metal molecular catalysts for FA dehydrogenation. Selected catalytic systems that could be implemented on an industrial scale and considered potential materials in fuel cell (FC) technology have been cost-evaluated. We highlight some critical engineering challenges faced during the technology’s scale-up process and explain other factors that are frequently ignored by academic researchers. Finally, we offer a critical assessment and identify several system limitations on an industrial scale that are currently impeding future implementation.