Best Climate Action publications from TU Delft: Electrolysis and CO₂ Storage

“Understanding climate is complex and urgent,” said Herman Russchenberg at the event. Russchenberg, Professor of Atmospheric Research at Civil Engineering and Geosciences (CEG) and Pro Vice Rector Magnificus for Climate Action, added “But understanding alone is not enough. At TU Delft, we also want to put it in perspective.” That is precisely why TU Delft organises the annual Best Climate & Best Energy Paper Award, recognising young TU Delft researchers conducting outstanding and relevant studies on climate change and sustainable energy.

“It’s as if we’re at a turning point in history, with both the opportunity and the ability to change the world for the better,” added Peter Palensky. The Professor of Intelligent Electrical Power Grids at the Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Mathematics and Computer Science praised the finalists for their ideas, calling them “the driving force behind the change we so desperately need.”

The jury selected two winners from among the finalists: Jorrit Bleeker, a PhD candidate at Applied Sciences, and Lifei Yan, a postdoctoral researcher at Civil Engineering and Geosciences (CEG).

Gas bubbles in electrolysis

Green hydrogen – produced by electrolysis of water using renewable electricity – is set to become the universal energy carrier and storage solution in a post-energy-transition world. For such a crucial role, efficient production is essential. However, hydrogen itself, forming as tiny gas bubbles, reduces the reaction surface area, lowering efficiency. Jorrit Bleeker devised a method to remove these bubbles by rapidly lowering the pressure. While effective, this approach is unlikely to work on an industrial scale. However, his pressure swing method serves as a valuable research tool to study the impact of gas bubbles in different setups, such as foam-structured electrodes. His winning paper is entitled ‘Gas bubble removal from a zero-gap alkaline electrolyser with a pressure swing and why foam electrodes might not be suitable at high current densities’.

The jury awarded Bleeker the Best Energy Paper Award, highlighting that the cost of green hydrogen is a key concern in the energy transition. On his research, they wrote: ‘Jorrit’s findings will hopefully contribute to cost reduction – either through the developed pressure swing method or by offering new insights into different types of resistance. We also appreciate his out-of-the-box approach.’

CO₂ storage in saslt cavern

Dr Lifei Yan, a postdoctoral researcher at CEG, studies underground CO₂ storage in salt caverns. These caverns, typically formed through salt mining, are considered highly suitable for CO₂ storage due to their large capacity and the porous structure of the surrounding salt. However, dry CO₂ gas evaporates the water in the cavern walls, leading to salt crystallisation, which clogs the pores and increases the pressure required for storage. Yan meticulously examined the salt crystallisation process on flat chips and detailed his findings in his award winning paper: Dynamics of salt precipitation at pore scale during CO₂ subsurface storage in saline aquifers.

The jury awarded Yan the Best Climate Paper Award, citing CO₂ storage as a socially relevant topic that aligns well with TU Delft’s Climate Action Programme on negative emissions. On his research, they wrote ‘Your work integrates multiple disciplines, including geosciences, micro-imaging, and chemistry, presenting complex experiments in a clear manner. We are convinced this study makes a valuable contribution to our understanding of CO₂ storage and reducing net CO₂ emissions.’