Coal belt to clean energy lab: IIT (ISM) develops low-cost catalyst for green hydrogen
In a development that links India’s fossil-fuel legacy with its clean-energy ambitions, scientists at the Indian Institute of Technology (Indian School of Mines), Dhanbad have developed a low-cost electrode material that could make green hydrogen production more affordable.
The research was led by Dr. Sk Riyajuddin, INSPIRE Faculty in the Department of Physics, along with research scholars Priyadarshani Tamang and Rumana Sultana Parvin. Their work addresses one of the biggest barriers to green hydrogen adoption: cost.
Located in a region historically associated with coal mining, IIT (ISM) is now contributing to research aimed at reducing dependence on fossil fuels. The breakthrough reflects a broader shift in Dhanbad’s academic and industrial narrative, where laboratories are increasingly aligned with clean-energy solutions.
Across the world, major economies are positioning themselves for a hydrogen-driven energy transition. The European Union has outlined an ambitious hydrogen strategy, Japan is advancing fuel-cell technologies, and the United States is backing clean hydrogen through large-scale incentives. India has also entered this competitive space. With rising energy demand and mounting climate concerns, green hydrogen is emerging as a strategic priority.
At present, the cost of producing green hydrogen in India ranges between ₹250 and ₹350 per kilogram, limiting large-scale industrial adoption. A significant portion of this cost arises from the use of expensive noble metal catalysts such as platinum and ruthenium in electrochemical water splitting. While efficient, these materials are costly and limited in availability.
The IIT (ISM) team developed a catalyst using relatively abundant and inexpensive elements including molybdenum, vanadium, sulphur and carbon. By integrating advanced transition metal compounds with a conductive carbon framework, the researchers created a system that reduces the energy required for water splitting while maintaining strong catalytic performance. Lower catalyst costs can directly influence the overall economics of hydrogen production and improve commercial feasibility.
The development comes as the Government of India pursues its National Green Hydrogen Mission, which aims to produce 5 million tonnes of green hydrogen annually by 2030. Achieving this target will require both infrastructure expansion and indigenous technological innovation. Affordable, locally developed materials can reduce dependence on imported components and strengthen domestic manufacturing capabilities.
The research team also demonstrated successful hydrogen production using a commercially available silicon solar cell. This experiment shows that hydrogen can be generated directly from sunlight and water, pointing toward a practical solar-to-hydrogen pathway. Such integration may support decentralised production models, particularly in regions with strong solar potential.
Green hydrogen produces only water as a by-product when used, making it one of the cleanest energy carriers available. Its applications extend to fertiliser production, petroleum refining, chemical manufacturing and steelmaking. These sectors are among the hardest to decarbonise using conventional renewable electricity alone. If production costs decline substantially, green hydrogen could play an important role in lowering industrial carbon emissions.
The findings have been published in the international journal Small (Wiley, 2026), underscoring the scientific rigour of the work. While the breakthrough represents an important step at the laboratory level, further validation and scaling will determine its industrial viability. Durability, manufacturing feasibility and integration into existing systems will be key factors.
This article has been republished from The Statesman.