In a groundbreaking achievement, a cost-effective method for producing green hydrogen from untreated water has clinched the coveted Griffith Hack Overall Winner award at this year’s Curtinnovation Awards. The innovative water electrolysis technology, pioneered by Curtin University’s Professor Zongping Shao and PhD candidate Jiayi Tang, promises to revolutionize the clean energy sector and drive the world closer to decarbonization.
The award-winning project’s approach focuses on extracting green hydrogen from unpurified water sources, even seawater. Professor Shao and Ms. Tang’s method employs an alternative catalyst, substantially reducing costs when compared to existing techniques. Their breakthrough has the potential to produce green hydrogen at 60% of the current cost, making it a significant contender in the race to decarbonize our energy infrastructure.
The green hydrogen project was just one of the ten products and services recognized at the Curtinnovation Awards 2023 event last Friday. Among the other notable winners were a deployable sensor system capable of discreetly tracking aircraft and satellites, a theory-based chatbot designed to support the mental health of young people, an AI-driven model for predicting the quality of pineapples without causing damage, and a leading national education platform dedicated to enhancing access to school content.
This year’s field of finalists was incredibly impressive, and I want to congratulate all of them for their outstanding work in trying to solve some of the world’s most difficult challenges.” She also highlighted the timeliness of the award going to a project dedicated to addressing the energy needs of the future as global decarbonization efforts gain momentum.
Professor Melinda Fitzgerald – Curtin Deputy Vice-Chancellor Research
The annual Curtinnovation Awards underscore the University’s dedication to translating cutting-edge research into new products and services that benefit the community. Furthermore, the awards also acknowledge excellence in various categories, such as the top submissions from Curtin’s Entrepreneurial program graduates, the Learning and Teaching department, International or Student teams, and the Trailblazer prize, specifically designed for submissions that can drive advancements in the critical minerals and resources industry.
The full list of Curtinnovation Awards
- Griffith Hack Overall Winner – Green Hydrogen: an electrolyser to produce green hydrogen
from untreated water - Business & Law Award – Curtin ANI Research: An automated self-service market research solution for SMEs
- Curtin Entrepreneur’s Award – Tempo: A two-sided marketplace for health providers and health professionals
- Health Sciences Award – MYLO: A novel mental health chatbot
- Humanities Award – Marri Gum Dye: a natural dye extract from the Western Australian Marrigum
- International Award – Pine-sense: A new AI-driven model to predict pineapple quality based on skin colours
- Learning & Teaching Award – Elucidate Education: a not-for-profit education platform
- Science & Engineering Award – Space Domain Awareness: a deployable sensor system
- Student Award – MacroMop: Enhanced immune cells to remove diseased tissue
- Trailblazer Award – Hydrobe: a scalable carbon capture process
