Birmingham researchers secure BIRMAC funding to progress hydrogen production and waste research

Green hydrogen is critical to achieving a net-zero global economy. Current green hydrogen production methods rely on intermittent renewable electricity. To solve this issue, aluminium-water oxidation has emerged as a potential green hydrogen production process, which produces waste heat as a by-product.

Dr Farrukh, a Research Fellow in the School of Engineering, and Dr Wu, an Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering, are currently working on developing Hydrogen Technology Roadmaps as an integral part of the UKRI-funded UK national hydrogen research hub “Hydrogen Integration for Accelerated Energy Transition - HI-ACT”, aimed at providing the UK government insights into key investment areas within the hydrogen value chain.

Their project, Cogeneration of hydrogen and electricity through an advanced hydrogen production process, considers whether it is feasible to develop a system that integrates advanced hydrogen production and waste energy-driven power generation while posing the question of whether the system can be scaled up and integrated into existing district heating networks.

The University of Birmingham and McMaster University (BIRMAC) collaboration was founded in 2021 to create a framework for collaboration and partnership. Both institutions share historic similarities and interests, recognising that achieving exceptional research outcomes requires both nurturing and support. The Projects and Ideas Fund is a seed fund created with matched funding from each university, designed to identify, establish and develop first-rate research projects and student outcomes.

Whilst funding awards through BIRMAC are nominal, they exhibit cross-continental collaboration. This award will advance knowledge of hydrogen production and effective systems for heat reutilisation and associated by-products, establishing the School of Engineering as a critical research entity within UK national research hubs.

Of the BIRMAC Fund, Professor Robin Mason, Pro-Vice-Chancellor (International), University of Birmingham, commented:

"We are proud to be working with colleagues at McMaster University. At the heart of the BIRMAC Project and Ideas Fund lies our shared interests and a collective recognition that, to achieve exceptional research outcomes and the best possible student experience, nurture and support is necessary and cannot be done in isolation. The fund will help to drive forward a number of projects, and will help to strengthen the broader UoB-McMaster institutional relationship, as well as academic collaboration into the future."

Dr Karen Mossman, McMaster's Vice-President for Research, stated:

"The enthusiastic response to this first round of funding reflects McMaster's and Birmingham's shared vision to advance impactful research and strengthen the student experience. Congratulations to this round of recipients on this well-deserved investment. This early-stage funding will plant the seeds for further collaborations that will address a diverse range of global challenges – including migration, ageing, advanced materials, sustainability and entrepreneurship – and to advance knowledge, health and well-being in Canada and abroad."