Innovate and React

Safe Hydrogen Storage with Salts: Alternative to Pressure Tanks and Ammonia

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Contributors:
  • Jonas Massa
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    • Dr. Kevin Hares
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        In this episode of Innovate and React, host I sit down with Jonas Massa, co-founder of AKROS Energy, to tackle the pressing challenges of hydrogen storage and transportation. While green hydrogen is a promising energy carrier for fluctuating renewables, its highly flammable nature poses significant safety and regulatory hurdles, especially for decentralized applications involving non-specialist personnel. Jonas breaks down why conventional storage methods, like highly pressurized vessels or toxic ammonia, fall short for widespread, small-scale use.
        To solve this, AKROS Energy is developing a revolutionary method that stores hydrogen in everyday, non-toxic salts, namely potassium bicarbonate and potassium formate. Jonas explains their streamlined, low-temperature catalytic process and they want to scale it up. A great alternative to Ammonia and LOHC.

        Episode Timestamps
        • 02:20 The Hydrogen Bottleneck: Discussing the primary obstacles in storing and transporting renewable energy as hydrogen, including safety and fluctuation challenges.
        • 08:52 A Salty Solution: Introducing AKROS Energy’s innovative approach to storing hydrogen safely using non-toxic potassium bicarbonate and potassium formate.
        • 12:35 Under the Hood: A deep dive into the low-temperature catalytic reactor process and how it efficiently stores and releases the hydrogen.
        • 22:33 Scaling Safely: How pairing a standard flat bottom tank with a containerized chemical plant makes decentralized hydrogen storage drastically safer for end-users.
        • 40:27 From Lab to Market: Jonas’s essential advice for researchers on the importance of leaving the lab, talking to customers, and testing technologies early.

          • Got interested in this technology? Here is more:

          • Sang, R., Wei, Z., Hu, Y. et al. Methyl formate as a hydrogen energy carrier. Nat Catal 6, 543–550 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41929-023-00959-8
          • Sang, R., Stein, C.A.M., Schareina, T. et al. Development of a practical formate/bicarbonate energy system. Nat Commun 15, 7268 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-024-51658-2
          • Carolin A. M. Stein, Jonas Massa, Katja Neubauer, Stephan Bartling, Carsten Kreyenschulte, Hanan Atia, Lorenz Dittrich, Hung Mac, Rui Sang, Volkan Turan, Peter Sponholz, Ali M. Abdel-Mageed, Sebastian Wohlrab, Henrik Junge, and Matthias BellerACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering; 2026 14 (2), 1195-1206. https://doi.org/10.1021/acssuschemeng.5c11492

            • Also find out more about AKROS energy on their website: https://akros-energy.com

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            Innovate and ReactBy Kevin Hares