Sustainable futures
Turning metal waste into a catalyst for hydrogen production
Hydrogen could play a major role in the transition to clean energy. Researchers have discovered how industrial metal waste can be transformed into highly efficient catalysts, offering a more sustainable and affordable way to produce green hydrogen.
The Challenge: Green hydrogen depends on expensive and scarce materials
Hydrogen is widely seen as an important clean fuel for the future, with the potential to power vehicles, industry and energy systems without producing carbon emissions. However, producing green hydrogen through water electrolysis often requires rare and expensive metals such as platinum, making large-scale deployment costly. At the same time, manufacturing industries generate millions of tonnes of metal swarf, the waste material left behind during machining processes. Much of this material is discarded, despite containing valuable properties that could be put to use.
Our Approach: Finding hidden value in industrial waste
Researchers in the School of Chemistry and Faculty of Engineering investigated the microscopic structure of metal swarf from manufacturing industries. Using advanced imaging techniques, they discovered that the apparently smooth surfaces of waste stainless steel, titanium and nickel alloys are covered with tiny grooves and ridges only a few nanometres wide. These naturally occurring nanotextures provide ideal anchoring points for precious metals such as platinum and cobalt.
By depositing extremely small amounts of platinum onto the waste metal, the team created highly effective electrocatalysts capable of splitting water into hydrogen and oxygen. The resulting system used only a fraction of the platinum required by conventional commercial catalysts while maintaining exceptional performance, demonstrating how industrial waste can be repurposed for clean energy applications.
The Impact: Transforming waste into clean energy solutions
This breakthrough shows how a common industrial by-product can be turned into a valuable resource for the clean energy transition. By dramatically reducing the amount of platinum needed for hydrogen production, the technology could help lower the cost of green hydrogen and reduce dependence on scarce precious metals. At the same time, it offers a practical example of the circular economy in action, giving manufacturing waste a new purpose rather than sending it for disposal.
The research has the potential to support the wider adoption of hydrogen technologies by making production more affordable, efficient and sustainable. By addressing both industrial waste and clean energy generation in a single process, the innovation could help accelerate progress towards low-carbon energy systems and net-zero ambitions. The team is now working with industry partners to explore opportunities for scaling up the technology for real-world applications.
"The electrocatalysts made from swarf have the potential to greatly impact the economy. It has solved two major challenges. Firstly, it enables the production of green hydrogen using the least amount of precious metal possible, and secondly, it upcycles metal waste from industry, all in a single process."
Professor Andrei Khlobystov leads research in nanomaterials and sustainable chemistry, with expertise in advanced materials, catalysis, hydrogen production and clean energy technologies. His work focuses on developing innovative solutions that support the transition to net zero, transforming waste materials into valuable resources and advancing more sustainable approaches to energy generation.
Jesum Alves Fernandes leads research in sustainable materials and clean energy technologies, with expertise in heterogeneous catalysis and material fabrication directly from atoms using on-surface assembly. His work focuses on developing low-cost, high-performance catalysts for green hydrogen production, ammonia synthesis, and carbon dioxide conversion to value products.