Iron, UV light help make hydrogen from alcohol in new sustainable method

Kyushu University researchers found that iron ions, sodium hydroxide, methanol, and UV light can generate significant amounts of hydrogen in a simple reaction.

The iron-based process works with methanol and some other alcohols, and can also produce hydrogen from biomass materials like glucose and cellulose.

The discovery could reduce hydrogen-production costs and environmental impact by replacing rare-metal catalysts such as platinum and iridium with abundant iron.