The development achieved at Maharashtra Institute of Technology-World Peace University (MIT-WPU)
using a Liquid Organic Hydrogen Carrier system represents a substantial leap forward for hydrogen as a viable pillar of India’s clean energy transition.

Hydrogen has long been recognised as a promising energy vector, but its storage and transportation challenges have constrained real-world deployment.

The work done by these researchers directly targets that bottleneck by making hydrogen easier, safer and faster to store, while cutting energy and infrastructure demands typically associated with conventional approaches.

At the core of this breakthrough is the dramatic reduction in hydrogen storage time. Where leading global laboratories have generally required around eighteen hours to achieve full hydrogen loading in similar systems, the MIT-WPU team has demonstrated complete storage in just two hours.

This almost order-of-magnitude improvement directly affects the operational feasibility of hydrogen logistics, enabling far quicker turnaround cycles for storage, transport and end-use. In an industrial context, such time compression can translate into higher throughput, better utilisation of equipment and lower overall system costs.

The system relies on a Liquid Organic Hydrogen Carrier, or LOHC, which is an organic liquid compound capable of chemically binding hydrogen and releasing it on demand. This approach differs fundamentally from cryogenic or high-pressure gas storage, because the hydrogen is not stored as a compressed gas or liquified at very low temperatures, but as part of a stable chemical structure. The LOHC used in this development remains in liquid form under ambient conditions, which simplifies handling and reduces the need for specialised infrastructure such as high-pressure cylinders or cryogenic tanks.

A notable advantage of LOHC technology lies in its safety profile. The liquid carrier used is non-flammable and thermally stable under normal operating and storage conditions. This substantially mitigates risks compared with high-pressure hydrogen cylinders or large-scale cryogenic tanks, which require meticulous safety systems and stringent operational protocols. For India, where hydrogen infrastructure is still nascent, an option that can leverage much of the existing liquid fuel logistics network without the same risk envelope offers compelling practical benefits.

In addition to lower temperature, the process operates at a pressure of approximately 56 bar, which is lower than many conventional hydrogenation set-ups for LOHC systems that often work at considerably higher pressures. Lower pressure means less mechanical stress on equipment, reduced capital cost for reactors and compressors, and a smaller safety radius for installations. When combined with the rapid two-hour storage cycle, this pressure and temperature optimisation suggests an elegant balance between kinetic performance and process conditions.

From a systems viewpoint, the LOHC route allows hydrogen to be integrated into existing fuel supply chains with relatively minimal disruption. Because the hydrogen-bearing liquid behaves similarly to widely used industrial liquids in terms of storage, pumping and transport, it can use tankers, pipelines and storage tanks similar to those already deployed for petrochemical products. This dramatically lowers the barrier for scaling hydrogen distribution, especially across a geographically large country such as India, where building entirely new cryogenic or high-pressure infrastructure nationwide would be extremely capital intensive and time consuming.

For end-users, the LOHC concept essentially turns hydrogen into a “liquid fuel” analogue. Hydrogen is loaded into the carrier at a central facility, the hydrogen-rich liquid is transported to consumption points, and hydrogen is then released, or dehydrogenated, close to where it is needed. The spent carrier can then be shipped back and recharged with hydrogen, forming a closed-loop logistics chain. The breakthrough in faster storage and milder operating conditions strengthens the economics of this loop, making it more attractive for industrial users, power generators and eventually distributed energy systems.

India’s decarbonisation strategy, as outlined in its hydrogen mission and broader climate commitments, depends significantly on resolving the storage and transport problem at scale. Renewable-rich regions, such as those with abundant solar and wind resources, are often far from industrial centres and heavy demand clusters. An LOHC-based approach, refined and accelerated by this MIT-WPU development, can act as a bridge between these production zones and industrial load centres. By converting intermittent renewable electricity into hydrogen and then into a transportable liquid form, the country can move clean energy across distance and time more flexibly.

Politically and strategically, the achievement enhances India’s technological standing in a domain that is still evolving globally. Most LOHC and advanced hydrogen storage technologies have, until now, been led by research and companies in Europe, Japan and a few other advanced economies. Demonstrating a shorter storage time and more benign operating envelope positions Indian researchers not only as adopters but as innovators capable of pushing the frontiers. This can attract investment, partnerships and potentially intellectual property licensing opportunities, further integrating India into international hydrogen value chains.

From an industrial policy perspective, a domestically developed LOHC system aligns well with initiatives such as ‘Make in India’ and the National Green Hydrogen Mission. If scaled successfully, the technology could underpin indigenous manufacturing of reactors, catalysts, carrier liquids and associated control systems. This would create a local ecosystem of suppliers and service providers rather than relying heavily on imported technologies. In turn, such an ecosystem could generate high-value jobs in chemical engineering, process design, materials science and system integration.

The faster hydrogenation capability may also influence plant design and project economics. With an 18-hour cycle, reactors and associated equipment must be oversized to process a given daily volume of hydrogen, leading to high capital expenditure. A two-hour cycle allows the same plant to process multiple batches in a day, increasing throughput without proportional equipment scale-up. This could drive down levelised cost of storage and improve the competitiveness of hydrogen against fossil fuel alternatives in sectors such as refining, fertilisers, steel and heavy transport.

The lower risk profile of a non-flammable, stable liquid also unlocks opportunities in urban and semi-urban settings where stringent safety restrictions often limit high-pressure hydrogen facilities. Smaller-scale LOHC-based stations could, in future, support fuel-cell vehicle refuelling, distributed power generation or backup power systems with reduced regulatory hurdles. While the immediate impact will likely be in large industrial applications, the technological foundation can gradually extend into more distributed use cases as the surrounding ecosystem matures.

It is important to recognise that the LOHC route, while promising, still requires efficient and durable catalysts for both hydrogenation and dehydrogenation, as well as robust thermal management. The MIT-WPU breakthrough strongly suggests advances in catalyst formulation, reactor design or process integration that enable faster kinetics at lower temperature and moderate pressure. Scaling these advances from laboratory or pilot scale to commercial plants will involve addressing issues such as catalyst lifetime, recyclability, fouling, and maintaining performance over many cycles without excessive degradation.

The environmental footprint of the overall LOHC cycle also depends on the life-cycle impacts of the carrier liquid itself. The production, handling and eventual disposal or recycling of the liquid must meet strict environmental standards to ensure that the hydrogen storage solution remains genuinely green. However, the use of stable, non-flammable liquids often lends itself to controlled handling and recovery, which can be managed effectively under the right regulatory and industrial frameworks. With appropriate standards and monitoring, an LOHC-based chain can be integrated into a broader sustainable energy system.

In the Indian context, the synergy between this technology and renewable energy development is particularly relevant. Large-scale solar parks in states such as Rajasthan, Gujarat and Karnataka, and wind farms along the western and southern coasts, can generate surplus electricity at off-peak times. This excess can be used to produce green hydrogen by electrolysis, which can then be stored in the LOHC developed by MIT-WPU, transported efficiently, and released where industrial demand is highest. This approach transforms variability into a manageable logistics problem rather than a grid stability challenge.

The breakthrough also has potential defence and strategic applications. Portable, safe and energy-dense hydrogen storage systems are attractive for remote bases, forward operating locations and naval platforms where logistics chains are complex and fuel security is crucial. A non-flammable, ambient-condition liquid with rapid hydrogen charging capability could support fuel-cell-based power systems, silent operations and reduced dependence on fossil supply chains, enhancing energy resilience for critical infrastructure and military applications.

Economically, the move towards LOHC-based hydrogen storage may give rise to new business models. Companies may emerge specialising in hydrogenation and dehydrogenation services, carrier leasing, and hydrogen logistics much like today’s oil and gas midstream sector. India’s refineries, petrochemical complexes and chemical clusters already possess the core skills and infrastructure needed for such process industries. The MIT-WPU innovation, by lowering technical barriers, makes it easier for these incumbents to adapt and extend their capabilities into hydrogen logistics.

On the research and education front, this success can catalyse further innovation. It demonstrates that Indian academic institutions can produce world-class, application-ready breakthroughs in energy technology. This can inspire more students to specialise in hydrogen, catalysis, and process engineering, and encourage deeper collaboration between universities, public research organisations and industry. Over time, such collaboration can accelerate the iterative refinement of LOHC systems, from initial proof-of-concept to fully optimised commercial solutions.

Looking ahead, integrating this LOHC approach with digital monitoring, advanced control systems and predictive maintenance can increase reliability and reduce operational risk. Sensors and data analytics can track carrier quality, catalyst health and process performance in real time, optimising hydrogen throughput and minimising downtime.

For grid-scale and industrial operations, reliable performance is critical to building confidence among investors and end-users, and the technical characteristics achieved at MIT-WPU provide a strong platform for such digital and operational enhancements.

The MIT-WPU hydrogen storage breakthrough therefore does more than demonstrate a faster chemical process. It offers a pathway to reconceive hydrogen logistics along lines that are compatible with existing industrial practice, financially viable at scale and aligned with India’s strategic objectives in clean energy and technology leadership.

By delivering full hydrogen storage in two hours at lower temperature and moderate pressure in a safe, non-flammable liquid, the researchers have addressed key practical constraints that have held back large-scale hydrogen deployment. If successfully translated into commercial systems, this innovation could become one of the enabling technologies that help transform hydrogen from a promising concept into a ubiquitous, everyday energy carrier in India’s decarbonised future.

Agencies