The Laboratory of Structural Engineering & Sustainable Catalysis which functions under the chemistry department of the North Bengal University (NBU) has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Hydrogen Innovation Pte Ltd of Singapore to research into “low-cost electro-catalyst for hydrogen generation and storage”.

The research, which is aimed at extracting hydrogen as a fuel from water, has been taken up by a group headed by Bhaskar Biswas, head of the department.

The foreign firm, sources said, will also collaborate with the research team to explore possibilities of commercial production.

Biswas said the project would run from March 2025 to February 2027. The firm, he said, operates an incubation centre at the National University of Singapore.

“In the research, we will focus on the development of low-cost electro-catalysts for hydrogen production, a critical step in enhancing the sustainability and efficiency of renewable energy systems. This partnership will bring together experts from academia and industry,” he said.

“The idea is to improve the affordability and scalability of hydrogen generation and storage technologies as the fuel is considered as a sustainable and greener source of energy,” Biswas added.

Sources in the department said they wanted to come up with electro-catalysts that would have significantly lower production costs and high efficiency for hydrogen production from water.

“The challenge is to make the process simpler and more sustainable. So far, we have developed around 20 catalysts and five of them show significant promise. One such innovation has even been named ‘NBU-4’ in recognition of the university’s contribution,” said a faculty member.

As a part of the MoU, the Singapore-based company will contribute 1,600 Singapore Dollars (SGD) for the first two years and SGD 800 for the third year for the research.

“The high costs associated with current electro-catalyst materials have emerged as significant barriers in creating hydrogen fuel. The collaboration seeks to overcome these challenges by developing innovative, low-cost materials that will revolutionise the way hydrogen is produced, stored and used,” said Goutam Kumar Dalapati, the chief technology officer of Hydrogen Innovation Pte. Ltd.