Researchers at India’s MIT World Peace University (MIT-WPU) have developed a Liquid Organic Hydrogen Carrier (LOHC) system capable of transporting hydrogen in a stable liquid form that is non-flammable, non-explosive, and manageable at normal temperatures and pressures. This breakthrough removes one of the biggest barriers slowing the widespread adoption of hydrogen in India.
“The innovation began when Ohm Cleantech Pvt Ltd (OCPL) approached MIT-WPU to solve a challenge that had remained unsolved at major institutions. There was no existing documented methodology worldwide, meaning the research team had to conceptualize and build the entire process from scratch,” said Prof. (Dr.) Rajib Kumar Sinharay, Principal Investigator.
Details of the proprietary method remain confidential as OCPL advances international patent filings.
Siddharth Mayur, founder of OCPL, added, “The progress achieved marks a major step forward for safe, Innovative, cost effective and scalable hydrogen transport, and strengthens our efforts as we move ahead with international patent filings. OCPL is excited to take this research forward and make a commercial product, which is in line with the National Green Hydrogen Mission and the vision of AtmaNirbhar Bharat [self-reliant India] as envisaged by honorable prime minister Narendra Modi.”
Hydrogen, despite being one of the cleanest fuel options available, has been difficult to integrate into energy systems due to its highly explosive nature and the extreme conditions required for transport. Currently, it is either compressed into high-pressure cylinders—often exceeding hundreds of times atmospheric pressure—or liquefied at temperatures below –253°C. Both methods demand complex infrastructure, heavy safety protections, and significant investment, making hydrogen transportation one of the most critical cost hurdles in its supply chain.
MIT-WPU’s LOHC innovation solves these issues through a two-stage chemical process. In the hydrogenation phase, hydrogen is bonded into a specially designed organic liquid, transforming the gas into a safer liquid form for easier storage and transport. In the dehydrogenation phase, the hydrogen is released at the final destination, while the carrier liquid remains reusable. The simplicity of handling this hydrogen-rich liquid means it can be moved through existing fuel tankers, storage containers, and potentially even standard pipeline networks — drastically lowering operational cost and transport risks.
The results obtained during laboratory trials place India at the forefront of LOHC advancements. The MIT-WPU team achieved complete hydrogen storage in just two hours—significantly faster than the 18 hours reported in other studies globally. The process operated at only 130°C, compared to the typical 170°C, and at a relatively low pressure of 56 bar. The hydrogenated liquid was able to store nearly 11,000 litres of hydrogen within just 15.6 litres of the carrier. In dehydrogenation experiments, the team successfully recovered 86% of the stored hydrogen, with further research underway to improve efficiency.
Prof. Datta Dandge, Research Advisor, said: “The ability to transport hydrogen like any other industrial liquid removes long-standing safety and regulatory barriers. This breakthrough can accelerate the entire hydrogen mission for the country and reshape clean-energy logistics for transport and heavy industry.”
The research was conducted in MIT-WPU’s advanced hydrogen laboratory equipped with an autoclave system capable of operating at 350 degrees Celsius and pressures up to 200 bar. The team continues to refine the process with the goal of scaling from laboratory success to industrial deployment.
Project Fellow and Ph.D student at MIT-WPU Nishant Patil contributed directly to the development.
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