New catalyst enables green hydrogen at far lower temperatures

Green hydrogen is promising, but still relatively expensive to produce. Researchers at the University of Birmingham now present a method that could change that — by splitting water at a far lower temperature than was needed until now.

The problem: hydrogen is locked away

Hydrogen is the most abundant element in the universe, but on Earth it almost never occurs in free form. It is bound to other substances, mainly to water and natural gas. To obtain usable hydrogen, you have to pull those molecules apart — and that is where the cost lies. Around 95% of today's hydrogen is made from fossil sources (grey hydrogen), releasing large amounts of CO2. Green hydrogen, made by splitting water with renewable electricity through electrolysis, is cleaner but for now more expensive.

The breakthrough: splitting at low temperature

In recent years, a third route has been gaining ground: thermochemical splitting. Here, a catalyst breaks water molecules apart once there is enough heat. The drawback so far was the extreme heat required: 700 to 1,000 °C to split, and even 1,300 to 1,500 °C to regenerate the catalyst afterwards.

The team led by Professor Yulong Ding developed a catalyst based on perovskite — a material with a lattice structure that can absorb and release oxygen. The variant used, made from barium, niobium, calcium and iron (BNCF), splits water at just 150 to 500 °C. Regenerating the catalyst is possible at 700 to 1,000 °C. That is a reduction of around 500 °C compared with existing methods.

In testing, the catalyst retained its performance over ten production cycles, with little structural change. The study was published in the International Journal of Hydrogen Energy.

Why it matters

A preliminary techno-economic estimate suggests this method could be cheaper than electrolysis. Factoring in the cost of capturing and storing CO2, the researchers say the price even comes in below that of hydrogen made from natural gas.

Equally interesting is where the technology fits: the lower temperature means hydrogen can be produced locally using waste heat from large industrial plants, or close to where renewable energy is generated. That aligns with using energy and resources sparingly, and could help distribute production rather than relying on heavy, energy-intensive installations.

Not a done deal yet

For now these are laboratory results and a first cost estimate, not a technology proven at industrial scale. The University of Birmingham has filed a patent on the material and is seeking partners to scale up the method. Whether it makes the leap to practice will become clear in the years ahead — but it shows that the cost of green hydrogen can still fall considerably, along several routes at once.

Sources

• Bright.nl — Green hydrogen production could become much cheaper with new method (June 2026)
• University of Birmingham — Water splitting catalyst creates hydrogen at low temperatures
• International Journal of Hydrogen Energy — Chen et al., DOI 10.1016/j.ijhydene.2025.152637
• ScienceDaily / EurekAlert! — New hydrogen breakthrough turns waste heat into clean fuel