Hydrogen Powder: Australian Company Ready to Pilot Project That Stores H2 in Sodium Borohydride (NaBH4) Powder: It Has Several Advantages Over Liquid H2 and Ammonia

   

   

     In 2024, Australian researchers from Curtin University and Velox Energy Materials developed a means to store hydrogen in solid form as sodium borohydride (NaBH4) powder for safe and cheaper export. Nanotechnology researchers, based at Deakin University's Institute for Frontier Materials, originated the process of powdered hydrogen storage via mechanochemistry. NaBH4 was previously used in dyeing and paper-making industries. Adding water to the hydrogen-infused NaBH4 powder causes it to release the hydrogen, which would happen at the export destination. After the hydrogen is exported and released, it yields a powdered byproduct, sodium borate, or sodium metaborate, which can then be chemically changed back into NaBH4, creating a circularity in the total process.  

     Typically, hydrogen to be exported is either compressed into a gas or cooled to very low temperatures to form liquid hydrogen. Both of these methods involved large energy inputs.

 

Mechanochemistry and Solid-State Hydrogen

     According to Good News Network, the project proposal was sent to the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) in 2024:

“…outlined that on a specialized tanker ship, liquid H2 costs around $10.1 per kilogram to ship, while if stored in an ammonia form, it falls to $7.9 per kilo, but becomes toxic.”

“In complete contrast, hydrogen stored as sodium borohydride costs 15% less than ammonia form, and can be shipped in much greater quantities aboard regular container ships.”

     According to Sustainability Times:

“Previously, the cost and complexity of recycling sodium metaborate back into sodium borohydride posed a hurdle. However, recent innovations have made this process more affordable, opening new avenues for hydrogen transportation and storage. This development not only reduces the cost of hydrogen export but also enhances safety, making it a viable global energy solution.”

     The cool AI-generated graphic below shows what the process might look like:

     Australia plans to produce 330,000 tons of green hydrogen annually by 2030, scaling up to 550,000 tons by 2040. This will be produced by electrolyzers powered by the country’s significant solar and wind resources. A ton of NaBH4 can produce about 213kg of H2, which means Australia’s long-term plans call for 2.58 million tons of NaBH4, which is considered to be feasible.

“The Kotai Hydrogen Project, a collaborative effort with Curtin University and ARENA, is a $16.47 million initiative aimed at scaling sodium borohydride production and ensuring continuous hydrogen generation.”

“Set to run until 2029, this pilot program is a game-changer in hydrogen production and transportation.”

Source: Sustainability Times

     Mechanochemistry is a recently coined term. According to a 2022 article in New Atlas explaining the discovery of the possibilities of solid-state hydrogen, mechanochemistry refers to

“… chemical reactions that are triggered by mechanical forces as opposed to heat, light, or electric potential differences. In this case, the mechanical force is supplied by ball milling – a low-energy grinding process in which a cylinder containing steel balls is rotated such that the balls roll up the side, then drop back down again, crushing and rolling over the material inside.”

     The chemical salts used in the reactions are very stable and non-reactive in normal circumstances. There are some other potential applications for this technology. According to New Atlas’s 2022 article, it could be used to separate hydrocarbon gases from crude oil using less than 10% of the energy of doing it with cryogenics, which is energy-intensive. They are also working on the process to separate out different gases, using different powders.  

“Different gases, they found, are absorbed at different milling intensities, gas pressures and time periods. Once the first gas is absorbed into the powder, it can be removed, and the process can be re-run with a different set of parameters to trap and store the next gas. Likewise, some gases are released from the powders at higher temperatures than others, offering a second way to separate gases if they're stored together.”

     The savings in cost, energy, and emissions mean that the process could be commercialized for several different gas separation processes. They were then also looking at using the powdered hydrogen directly for H2-enabled transport, but this would require more tweaks, but this would require a suitable tank, and a way to control the reaction of releasing the H2.

     Below are some details from the 2024 

Project Proposal: 

 

 

References:

 

Australia’s Revolutionary Hydrogen Powder Is Easier and Cheaper to Use for Clean Energy. Andy Corbley. Good News Network. August 1, 2025. Australia’s Revolutionary Hydrogen Powder Is Easier and Cheaper to Use for Clean Energy

Mechanochemical breakthrough unlocks cheap, safe, powdered hydrogen. Loz Blain. New Atlas. July 18, 2022. Mechanochemical breakthrough unlocks cheap, safe, powdered hydrogen

Hydrogen export using a powder. Curtin University: Craig Buckley, Mark Paskevicius, Peter O Conghaile, Terry Humphries, Peta Ashworth Velox Energy Materials: Mike Griffiths, Nicole Morcombe, Simon Coyle. June 2024. PowerPoint Presentation

“This Is a Weapon, Not Progress”: Australian Whistleblower Blasts 550 Million Kg of Hydrogen Powder as a Global Power Grab. Australia is poised to revolutionize the global energy landscape with its groundbreaking production of hydrogen in powder form, a development that promises to enhance safety, efficiency, and sustainability in energy transportation and storage. Rosemary Potter. Sustainability Times. July 25, 2025. “This Is a Weapon, Not Progress”: Australian Whistleblower Blasts 550 Million Kg of Hydrogen Powder as a Global Power Grab - Sustainability Times