Qatar University’s National 3MT Competition awarded third place to researcher Muhammad Danyal Imam for his work on developing a long-term method for producing hydrogen from water, which was funded by the university’s Qatari partner.

For him, it’s a game changer for hydrogen production and storage. At present, many ways to obtain hydrogen exist, but they have all proved to be prohibitively expensive. It is expensive and time-consuming to produce high-purity water for current water-splitting methods. The Middle East is the world’s most water-scarce region, home to 15 of the world’s 20 most water-strapped countries. As a result, freshwater is in short supply in the area.

The faster hydrogen is commercially developed as a fuel, the cheaper and more environmentally friendly it will be to produce freshwater from seawater.

Hydrogen’s explosive nature makes it difficult to store and transport, limiting its potential for widespread commercial use.

Because it produces no carbon dioxide, hydrogen is an attractive alternative fuel. It’s not the production of fossil fuels that Danyal is concerned about, but rather the carbon they produce when burned, which is a greenhouse gas.

A national hydrogen production model that is both cost-effective and environmentally friendly would be a significant achievement for the government of Qatar as it works to implement its climate-friendly policies.