Unlocking green hydrogen: focusing on research and recycling

To achieve the “zero emissions” target, emerging technologies such as green hydrogen are essential. However, the production of green hydrogen through electrolysis depends on critical raw materials (CRM), for which the demand is increasing, while supply remains concentrated in just a few countries. The study was presented at the “IRTC25: From Raw Material Policies to Practice” conference held in Ljubljana, supported by EIT RawMaterials (European Union) and the Federal Department of Economic Affairs (Switzerland). The research, conducted by Area Science Park (Riccardo Priore and Marinella Favot) and the University of Milano-Bicocca (Marco Compagnoni) within the North Adriatic Hydrogen Valley project – NAHV, explored two key aspects: technological innovation in green hydrogen through the analysis of patents and the assessment of the criticality of the raw materials necessary.

To identify global trends in green hydrogen innovation, patents related to key technologies such as fuel cells and electrolysers were analysed. Additionally, the criticality of the raw materials necessary for these technologies was assessed based on the EU’s list of critical raw materials.

Thanks to the PatLib Centre at Area Science Park, the study used a patent database (PATSTAT) covering the period from 2000 to 2023, focusing on:

• temporal trends in patents for fuel cells and electrolysers
• countries with the strongest interest in intellectual property protection on these topics
• the most used critical raw materials and their trends over time.

The picture that emerged is the following:

• patent applications for hydrogen technologies have increased significantly, reaching 5,380 applications filed in 2022 (a figure that may continue to grow), making a total of over 45,600 applications from 2000 to 2023 (noting that the publication secrecy period for applications is 18 months);
• China, Japan and the USA are the territories most interested in the legal protection (via patents) of the production or commercialisation of key green hydrogen technologies;
• 13% of patents mention at least one critical raw material, with Nickel, Platinum and Lithium as the most important for both technologies (fuel cells and electrolysers).

The researchers conclude that while the increase in patent applications highlights a global push towards green hydrogen-based solutions, the dependency on critical raw materials such as Nickel, Platinum and Lithium raises concerns about supply risks, price volatility and geopolitical dependencies. To ensure the sustainable growth of hydrogen technologies, it will be crucial to develop new research into alternative materials and, at the same time, effective recycling strategies and supply chains.