Hollywood sends materials to anaerobic digester, poop to paper, hydrogen from seawater, Kanye’s algae foam kicks, Hellman’s seaweed sachets, and more: The Digest’s Top 10 Innovations for the week of November 15th

#3 Novel source of hydrogen from seawater opens as revolutionary catalyst is developed

In Texas, Researchers from the University of Houston have developed a new oxygen evolution catalyst that allows for low voltage seawater electrolysis, a process that was previously impossible as no known catalyst prior to the study was able to produce hydrogen from seawater without also setting free ions of sodium, chlorine, calcium, and other problematic ions. In the past, these ions would settle on the catalyst and render it inactive, which is why the use of freshwater for hydrogen production was seen as more viable than saltwater. But freshwater resources are limited, which enhances the gravity of this breakthrough. The researchers claim that their catalyst would also work with wastewater, which would be another major source of hydrogen from water that is otherwise unusable without expensive and resource-intensive treatments.
More on the story, here.