[Haichuan Hydrogen Energy] The Path to Magnesium-Based Solid Hydrogen Storage

In 1987, Academician Ding Wenjiang from the School of Materials at Shanghai Jiao Tong University assembled a technical team to initiate specialized research on magnesium-based hydrogen storage materials. During this period, the hydrogen storage capacity of the material continued to improve, rising from 5.5 wt% to 7.2 wt% and approaching 7.6 wt%. To this day, Academician Ding Wenjiang’s team has been researching magnesium-based hydrogen storage materials for over 30 years. Image: In January 2019, Hydrogen Storage (Shanghai) Energy Technology Co., Ltd. was established, jointly founded by Shanghai Hydrogen Maple Energy Technology Co., Ltd. and the team led by Academician Ding Wenjiang from the School of Materials at Shanghai Jiao Tong University, with the goal of bringing high-density magnesium-based solid hydrogen storage technology into industrial use. The company develops and produces large-capacity magnesium-based solid hydrogen storage vehicles, standard magnesium-based solid hydrogen storage container systems, as well as portable devices. Academician Ding Wenjiang serves as the company’s senior advisor, while Professor Zou Jianxin, a Changjiang Scholar, is the company’s lead scientist. With this, hydrogen storage technology has embarked on the path toward industrializing magnesium-based solid-state hydrogen storage.

In May 2020, the magnesium-based solid hydrogen storage testing facility was successfully put into operation in Rugao. With the support of Academician Ding Wenjiang and Professor Zou Jianxin, the research team specializing in hydrogen storage technology carried out intensive tests on the large-scale absorption and release of hydrogen by magnesium alloy materials in practical applications, further deepening their studies on this process. This effort provided more comprehensive technical data to support the widespread use of magnesium alloy materials in low-pressure solid hydrogen storage containers, thereby facilitating the broader application and development of hydrogen energy in fuel cell vehicles and hydrogen refueling stations. In July of the same year, Hydrogen Storage Technology and Hydrogen Maple Energy settled in Jiading Hydrogen Energy Port; phased results regarding magnesium-based solid hydrogen storage devices were released, and Professor Zou Jianxin presented data on the large-scale absorption and release tests of hydrogen using magnesium-based solid hydrogen storage materials. Research and development covering materials, mechanical structures, thermal system management, remote control systems, and containers have all been completed, along with numerous theoretical simulations and experimental tests.

In January 2021, Hydrogen Storage Technology completed the acquisition of the Australian company Hydre*a Pty Ltd. By integrating the magnesium-based solid hydrogen storage technology developed at the University of Queensland in Australia, along with the results of years of testing, with the technologies from Shanghai Jiao Tong University, it created the world’s only mature magnesium-based solid hydrogen storage solution that was ready for practical use at that time. In the same year, magnesium-based solid hydrogen storage products developed by Hydrogen Storage Technology entered the demonstration phase. The company collaborated with Baowu Clean Energy on an integrated system for hydrogen production and utilization; magnesium-based solid hydrogen storage was used to store the hydrogen produced by the front-end hydrogen production units, while the back-end hydrogen injection units and hydrogen fuel cells were used to utilize that hydrogen. This approach transformed mobile hydrogen storage into a system that enables long-distance transportation as well as safe storage and handling of hydrogen.

In October of the same year, Hydrogen Storage (Shanghai) Energy Technology Co., Ltd. and Shanghai Hydrogen Maple Energy Technology Co., Ltd., in collaboration with Shanghai Jiao Tong University, the Research Institute of Petrochemical Technology of Sinopec Corporation, Baowu Clean Energy Co., Ltd., as well as other enterprises, universities, and research institutions, jointly drafted the group standard \"Technical Requirements for Solid-State Hydrogen Storage and Transportation Systems Using Magnesium-Based Hydrides.\" This standard was approved and issued by the Shanghai Energy Conservation Association and the China Energy Conservation Association, becoming the first domestic standard related to solid-state hydrogen storage and transportation technologies using magnesium-based hydrides.

In September 2021, Hydrogen Storage Technology completed the development of the world’s first intelligent, automated production line for kiloton-scale magnesium-based solid hydrogen storage materials, and construction began at its factory in the Hydrogen Energy Industrial Park in the High-Tech Zone of Xinxiang City, Henan Province. Leveraging mature technology, Hydrogen Storage Technology uses an exclusively patented machining method to produce magnesium alloy hydrogen storage materials, enabling high production volumes and low manufacturing costs, thus allowing for industrial-scale production. At present, the project has entered the acceptance and finalization phase. Everything is ready; the future looks promising. The path to innovation has always been full of obstacles. By braving difficulties and moving forward relentlessly, thanks to the unremitting efforts of Academician Ding Wenjiang’s team as well as the R&D team at Hydrogen Maple Energy, the light of dawn is finally on the horizon. We look forward to this dark horse bringing about change in the field of hydrogen storage and transportation, becoming a source of pride for China and a shining light in the world!