CSI Chief Investigator Prof Yao Zheng receives the Australian Academy of Science Award

The Australian Academy of Science today announced the recipients of their 2024 honorific awards. CSI Chief Investigator Professor Yao Zheng from the University of Adelaide received the Le Fèvre Medal for his outstanding contributions to science.

Professor Yao Zheng is an internationally recognised chemical engineer focused on the principles of catalysis and energy materials chemistry for green hydrogen production – a vital component for both environmental and economic sustainability and key to achieving net-zero emissions by 2050. By harnessing renewable energy sources, green hydrogen can be utilised in fuel cells for electricity generation and electrochemical processes to synthesise various commodity chemicals, such as ammonia, methanol and oxygenates, as alternatives to fossil fuels. Professor Zheng and his team discovered they could directly produce ultrapure hydrogen from raw and untreated seawater by electrolysis, instead of requiring rare highly purified deionised water. This groundbreaking technology can be scaled up to industry-level applications and pilot plants. These processes hold significant potential to drive towards greener industries and reduce pressure on freshwater availability in Australia, and in turn, revolutionise Australia’s green hydrogen industry. His cutting-edge work is part of the essential wave of disruptive and transformative innovation and research aimed at building more sustainable societies.

Learn more about Prof Yao Zheng and watch his personalised video below: