Queensland has celebrated the state’s first ever delivery of green hydrogen to Japan, marking a significant step forward for the state’s hydrogen industry.
Exported by JXTG, Japan’s largest petroleum conglomerate, the hydrogen was produced at QUT’s solar cell facility, located at the Queensland Government’s Redlands Research Facility.
Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said the demonstration of renewable hydrogen being successfully exported overseas is an “exciting first step in producing and exporting hydrogen at a commercial scale in the future”.
The Premier also announced $250,000 in funding for the establishment of a renewable hydrogen pilot plant at the Redlands Research Facility.
“This will ensure the knowledge within the hydrogen industry in Queensland continues to grow at pace with the international market,” she said.
Minister for State Development, Manufacturing, Infrastructure and Planning, Cameron Dick said Queensland has a strong future in hydrogen production and export.
“We are putting steps in place to make that happen, including the development of a hydrogen strategy for Queensland which will be released later this year,” he said.
Professor Mackinnon, from QUT’s Institute for Future Environments, said the green hydrogen exported to Japan was produced by adding water and acid to a chemical called toluene using solar power as the energy source in the electrochemical conversion process.
“The toluene is converted to a substance called methyl cyclohexane (MCH), which is an energy efficient and safe method for transporting hydrogen,” Professor Mackinnon said.
“In this form, hydrogen can be shipped using conventional road and pipeline infrastructure.
“Once it has arrived at its destination, the renewable hydrogen is extracted from the MCH and the toluene can be re-used in the transportation cycle.”