The sustainable way to hydrogen market economy: principle bases and platinum metals key role

THE SUSTAINABLE WAY TO HYDROGEN MARKET ECONOMY:

PRINCIPLE BASES AND PLATINUM METALS KEY ROLE

GOLTSOV V. A.1,2, GOLTSOVA L. F.1,2, VEZIROĞLU T. N.1,3

VASEKIN V. V.4, SPORTSMEN L. A. 4

1 International Association for Hydrogen Energy (IAHE),

P. O. Box 248266 Coral Gables, FL , USA

2 Donetsk National Technical University, 58, Artyom Street, 83001 Donetsk, Ukraine

3 Clean Energy Research Institute, University of Miami, Coral Gables, FL 33124, USA

4 FSUE Scientific & Industrial Complex “Supermetal”,

Elektrozavodskaya Str., 37/4, bild.3, 107076 Moscow, Russia

Annotation. IAHE modern Hydrogen Civilization (HyCi-) conception states that at this rigorous, severe historical period the humankind has the only chance to save the biosphere by the advantageous all-planetary work along the direction of ecologically clean vector “Hydrogen energy®Hydrogen economy®Hydrogen civilization”. The HyCi-Conception includes three constituent, mutually conditioned parts: industrially–ecological, humanitarian–cultural and geopolitical–internationally legislative ones. There are discussed principle bases of the sustainable way to hydrogen market economy – technical and economical basis of hydrogen civilization. Future platinum metals key role of hydrogen economy development is considered. In conclusion and appendix of the paper there are generalized comprehensive data on the present day HyCi-Conception status in the world hydrogen movement.

Keywords: Hydrogen Civilization, Hydrogen Market Economy, Platinum Metals.

1.  Introduction

At the end of the 20th century it became absolutely clear for the specialists, that an epoch-making replacement of the general energy carrier would take place in the 21st century. Fossil fuels will be step by step substituted by a new environmentally friendly energy carrier – hydrogen. Simultaneously the human way of life will necessarily be subjected to fundamental transformations. Thinking on the basis of Vernadsky’s doctrine about this planetary process has originated [1,2] a novel large-scale conception of a Hydrogen Civilization of the future. For the first time, the main aspects of humanity move into the era of an ecologically clean hydrogen civilization were being pondered [1,2]. Some biospheric and noospheric consequences of this transition were analysed and the tasks of the world hydrogen movement formulated [1,2].

There was perceived [1,2] that historically prolonged movement into the era of Hydrogen Civilization will lead to global transformations in all aspects of human existence, human mentality and human society, the mode of political and international thought, environment and hydrogen industry friendly development. For the first time this planetary problem has been raised officially at the International Vernadsky’s Conference in the Donetsk National Technical University (Donetsk, Ukraine, April 10–12, 2001) [1,2]. At the Plenary Session V. A. Goltsov adduced arguments and called up: “Negative climate and biosphere changes analyzed on the basis of Vernadsky’s doctrine make hydrogen civilization transition to be especially acute for thinking out just now, not at a later time!”

Now let us note some milestones in the development of the HyCi-Conception. In 2001, the first worldwide international hydrogen community discussion on the HyCi-Conception had taken place during the Third International IAHE Conference “HTM-2001” (Donetsk, Ukraine, May 14–18, 2001) [3].

On June 12, 2002 at the Meeting of Board of Directors of IAHE held in Montreal (WHEC-14), the presentation of a novel IAHE HyCi-Conception to the world hydrogen movement at the 15th World Hydrogen Energy Conference in Yokohama was recommended. This decision was fulfilled in the 30th anniversary year of the IAHE during the 15th World Hydrogen Energy Conference (Yokohama, Japan, June 27–July 2, 2004) [4]. The conception was presented at the Plenary Session to an audience of 2000 delegates from 52 countries [4]. Following this, at the first years of the XXI century the novel IAHE HyCi-Conception was widely presented to the scientific community at the international hydrogen conferences: Istanbul-2005, Moscow-2006, Lyon-2006, Berlin-2006, Istanbul-2007, Donetsk-2007, Montecatini Terme-2007 and were published in IJHE (2006) [5], IJNHPA (2006) [6] and in many other journals and conference proceedings [7–12].

The Conception has a program nature and consists of three interdependent and interrelated component parts: industrial–ecological, humanitarian–cultural and geopolitical–internationally legislative one.

The industrial–ecological part of the HyCi-Conception encompasses progress towards the hydrogen economy and elaborates historical scientific seeing on interrelated development of the world ecological situation and hydrogen industry on a global scale. Being based on Vernadsky’s studies concerning the biosphere, the HyCi conception leans in its analysis upon synergetics, a modern science about the development of complex self-organising systems, of which the biosphere is an example.

The humanitarian–cultural part of the HyCi-Conception emerges from Vernadsky’s studies about the noosphere and his cultural–philosophical heritage. In its development, this part of the HyCi-Conception is guided by the humanities: modern philosophy, culturology and others. In particular, the HyCi-Conception comprehends and exposes the question about correlation and interrelation between the theory of hydrogen civilization transition and universe synergetic conception. The historical task of the HyCi-Conception in its humanitarian–cultural aspect consists of the formation of mass hydrogen–ecological and noospheric consciousness of some people, and then of all humanity. This mass consciousness will afford an opportunity to accept a new paradigm of life quality and will serve as a humanitarian–cultural basis for introducing into the life of humanity a legislative–economical mechanism of transition to the era of hydrogen civilization.

The geopolitical–internationally legislative part of the HyCi-Conception states the correctness and inevitability of generating global and local geopolitical and geoeconomical contradictions in the world community during the period of transition to the hydrogen civilization era. The HyCi-Conception requires the involvement of legislation for resolution in frames of legislative field elaborated by world and regional international organisations, first of all under the aegis of UN and its structural organisations (UNIDO, UNESCO, etc.).

Comprehensive data on the historical aspects and the present day HyCi-Conception status in the World hydrogen movement are presented in the Appendix of this paper.

2.  The mechanisms of a transition to hydrogen market economy – technical and economical basis of hydrogen civilization

Negative climate and biosphere changes make hydrogen civilization transition to be started (we’ll repeat): “just now, not at a later time”. It is evident that comprehension of sustainable ways to hydrogen market economy is the primary challenge for the humankind elite as hydrogen energy and hydrogen economy are technical and economical groundwork of the HyCi-transition. And there is a principal question: Will or won’t power hydrogen be in the immediate future profitable goods of the world market economy? The answer on this fundamental question is given in the IAHE Conception that generalizes three principle bases of the legiclative–economical mechanism of HyCi-transition.

2.1. Principle bases of the HyCi-transition mechanism

The first principle basis. Technical improvement of hydrogen equipment and hydrogen power technologies has been successfully proceeding for more than 30 years already. This near fact is (and will be) permanently decreasing the cost gap between a relatively expensive for the time being hydrogen economy and the economy of oil and gas. In the same direction there will be acting future continuously growing mass-scale production of power hydrogen and hydrogen equipments.

The second principle basis. This is the exhaustibility of the world resources of oil and gas. In a foreseeable future (~30-ies of the 21st century) the world economy will begin to experience always increasing deficiency of the natural energy resources, first of all oil and gas. Hubbert’s Peak could be reached very soon [13]. Thereafter the world economy will be threatened by energy starvation. “The view ahead is dark and threatening. It demands unprecedented actions” [13]. It’s quite clear that such a line of development of the world market of energy carriers will facilitate the cutting down of a cost gap between hydrogen economy and economy of oil and gas.

These two base regulations in principle guarantee the motion to attain an economical benefit of power hydrogen, hydrogen equipment and hydrogen technologies.

But, extreme environmental hazard and possible dramatic world catastrophe should be taken into consideration. Really: “How much time do we have?”

The IAHE HyCi-Conception in its humanitarian and cultural part [11,12] reflects a real situation that the mass comprehension of the mankind and the elitist comprehension of the educated society do not perceive yet that: true quality of the life of the “golden milliard” even (and not only the whole mankind) is permanently deteriorating, they don’t particularly comprehend a historically near danger of a world-wide ecological catastrophe [11,12].

A real threat to humanity lies in the fact that the world scientific and cultural community is separated on different parts, which are considering the above global problems from different (sometimes antithetical) viewpoints and proposing decision contracted each other (see Appendix).

The third principle basis. The IAHE HyCi-Conception in its humanitarian–cultural part [11,12] asserts that a historical time interval needed to reach the first stage of hydrogen civilization can and will be reduced by changing the paradigm of the life quality and by introducing the system of ecological taxes [11,12]. The IAHE HyCi-Conception takes the slogan of the market economy: “Everything must be paid for!” and makes it wider: “Everything, and the life on the Earth too, must be paid for!”

Under these conditions some ecologically active countries with suitable humanitarian–cultural and economical conditions will pass national laws regulating the transition to Hydrogen Civilization. These countries will initially implement light ecological taxes. Then, gradually they will enforce increasing high ecological taxes for using fossil fuels and polluting technologies.

A possibility of introducing ecological taxes will be fully specified by hydrogen ecological, cultural–humanitarian readiness of the population of industrial mega polices, separate countries and, at last, by the human readiness on a global scale [11,12].

The above given three principle bases provide a groundwork of the legislative and economical mechanism of the HyCi-Conception realization that:

• will ensure a transition of the world economy into the situation when power hydrogen will be an economically profitable goods,

• will ensure a valuable market operation of hydrogen energy and hydrogen economy as a technical–economical basis of the mankind transition into the era of hydrogen civilization.

But there are two matters of principle: “HOW?” and “WHEN?”

2.2. Hydrogen roadmap or/and hydrogen pathmaps

At the first years of the XXI century keenly aware necessity of most fast transition to hydrogen economy has captured the world scientific and technical community in full measure [13–22, and References in them]. There were fulfilled (and are fulfilling) analysis and generalization of the possible and most real ways of transition to hydrogen economy. In this regard the world hydrogen community has been fulfilling systemic analysis of the nowadays possible ways of building new energetic foundation of a country, or of group of countries, in the world scale; needed historical periods (decades) and financial resources. Important points of these efforts are analysis of readiness of the partnership between state and business, between the rich North and the pour South under the auspices of UN (UNIDO, UNESCO). Hydrogen security and sustainable development are of the most important points in the search for ways out.

Industrial developed countries (USA, Japan, United Europe) adopted national plans of hydrogen economy development. New fast developing countries (India, China, Russia, and Brazil) have their own view (and plans) on the future of hydrogen energy systems. The important thing is that private capital and major international corporations are already looking for their place in the future world hydrogen energy market.

Different viewpoints of the very recent past had been fully discussed at the last IAHE Conferences: “Hydrogen Economy and Hydrogen Treatment of Materials (Donetsk, Ukraine, May 21–25, 2007) and “World Hydrogen Technologies Convention” (Montecatini Terme, Italy, November 4–7, 2007, www. ranieriviaggi. it).

In general there are two new modes of thought about building hydrogen energy system in a country or in group of countries. The first is acting in accordance with a wide Hydrogen Roadmap [13] planning rebuilding all the energy system of the state. But, Wide Hydrogen Road (Highway) is of long-term (30–50 years) and high-cost (billions €) way to hydrogen future. The population of all the countries are not ready to pay billions € immediately. So, no strong actions are scheduled at the moment, for the long-term, far-distant future on the base of this mode of thought.

The second mode of thought [14–16] is to move to hydrogen future by “Narrow Hydrogen Paths” just today. Every such a hydrogen path is of short-term (~5–10 years only) and small-cost (millions € only); it can and must be started immediately, and there is no problem with the people comprehension.

Let us note only some examples of hydrogen narrow paths:

ü Mixing of small amounts of hydrogen with current fuels (natural gas, gasoline and others);

ü Centralized cogeneration of electrical power and hydrogen at the acting and future heat electrical power plants;

ü Centralized cogeneration of electrical power and hydrogen at the acting nuclear power plants;

ü Centralized and decentralized gasification of coal with H2-production and CO2-sequestration;

ü Many others are possible to fulfill.

So, the adequate answer on the questions “HOW?” and “WHEN?” for the first time is proposed in [14–16] where nember of Board of Directors of IAHE Dr. Giuseppe Spazzafumo said: “We need to start immediately, eventually with a narrow path, but immediately. Later we will build a road, when the traffic on the hydrogen path will increase”.

New challenges of the present day and some possible narrow necks of the transition see in Appendix.

3. “A future narrow neck” of hydrogen economy development

Future transition to hydrogen economy and then to hydrogen civilization will be historical epoch-making transformation and cannot be serene in principle. But the most part of the world hydrogen community (see in [13–22] and in References in them) do not perceive that. For example, they don’t perceive that platinum metals will play key role in the development and commercialization of the world hydrogen economy.

Professor E. I. Rytvin [23] was just the first who understood in full measure novel key role of platinum metals in the development of the world hydrogen energy and hydrogen economy. He initiated analytical work on this problem in some organizations: Research and Production Complex “Supermetal”, Donetsk National Technical University, Donetsk Engineering and Physical Center of Engineering Academy of Ukraine, Moscow State Institute of Radio Engineering, Electronics and Automation, Center of Development of International Cooperation of Producers and Consumers of Precious Metals, Editorial Board of the journal “Precious metals and Precious Stones”, Editorial Board of the journal “Bulletin of Hydrogen Economy and Ecology.

In 2006 there was held the Second International Conference “Platinum Metals in the Modern Industry, Hydrogen Energy and Life Maintenance in the Future” (Berlin-PM’2006) dedicated to the memory of Professor E. I. Rytvin [24]. The conference [24] in particular discussed in details a future key-note role of platinum metals in the development of World hydrogen energy and hydrogen economy. There were analized scientific bases and prospects of the use of platinum and its alloys in fuel cells and in electrochemical hydrogen production, of palladium and its alloys in membrane technology for pure hydrogen (and its isotopes) production and for separation of industrial hydrogen-containing gases, of platinum metals in production of power hydrogen from natural gas oil, and the like.

The “Berlin-PM’2006” Conference [24] had displayed that already in 2010 there will be demanded ~20 t of platinum for the world industry of vehicles on fuel cells. In the far prospects hydrogen economy demand of platinum will grow up to 180–200 tons per year.

So, in the near future platinum metals will be “a narrow neck” in the development and commercialization of hydrogen economy: future world deficit of platinum metals (tens and hundreds of tons of platinum per year) will lead to the world crises of platinum metals market and of hydrogen economy commercialization.

We must give Professor E. I. Rytvin [23,24] credit for his seeing of a new key role of platinum metals in the development of hydrogen economy. He was the first who initiated steadily cooperation of two world communities:

·  platinum community (producers, technologists, consumers and others);

·  hydrogen community (ideologists of hydrogen economy, hydrogen energy technologists, specialists on the hydrogen–materials problems, and the like).

In 2007–2008 the Research and Production Complex “Supermetal” and all above mentioned organizations proceeded informing the world hydrogen movement about a future platinum metals key role in the world hydrogen market economy development at the international hydrogen conferences: Istanbul-2007, Donetsk-2007, Montecatini Terme-2007, Moscow-2008 (see, for example, [25,26]). IAHE has been paying attention to this “future narrow neck” of hydrogen economy development and has been publishing systematically in IJHE announcement of this new series international conferences series “Platinum Metals in the Modern Industry, Hydrogen Energy and Life Maintenance in the Future” [27]. Beyond a doubt, platinum metals problem is one of the most important challenges of hydrogen energy and hydrogen economy at present (see appendix).

4. conclusions

IAHE modern Hydrogen Civilization conception of the future states that humanity can preclude world ecological catastrophe and conserve the biosphere’s ability to sustain life only by movement along the vector: ‘Hydrogen energy®Hydrogen economy®Hydrogen civilization’. Historically Prolonged movement in this direction will lead to global transformations in all aspects of human existence, human mentality, and human society, the mode of political and international thought, environment and industry friendly development.

HyCi-Conception formulates a legislative–economical mechanism of successful transition to profitable power hydrogen production and to effective hydrogen market economy in general – technical and economical basis of Hydrogen Civilization.

Future transition to Hydrogen economy and then to Hydrogen civilization will be historical epoch-making transformation and cannot be serene in principle. Beyond any doubt platinum metals deficit will be “a future narrow neck” of hydrogen economy development. In Appendix there are formulated HyCi-challenges of the present day facing the world scientific and cultural community.

References

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21 Haeseldonckx D, O’Haeseleer W. The use of the natural-gas pipeline infrastructure for hydrogen transport in a Shangen market structure. Int J Hydrogen Energy 2007;32(10-11):1381–1386.

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23 His Work and Aspirations are Actual Today. E. I. Rytvin: Contemporaries Reminiscences. Moscow: ASMO-PRESS, 2007, 157 pp.

24 Proceedings of the “Platinum Metals in the Modern Industry, Hydrogen Energy and Life Maintenance in the Future”. Berlin, Germany, 2006.

25 Vasekin VV, Goltsov VA, Goltsova LF, Yastrebov VA, Morosova LE, Sportsmen LA. New key role of platinum metals in the making of hydrogen economy (sum up of the Second International Conference “Berlin–PM’2006”). In: Proceedings of the Five International Conference on Hydrogen Economy and Hydrogen Treatment of Materials “HTM-2007”. Editor-in-Chief Goltsov VA., Donetsk, Ukraine, 2007, p. 69–73.

26 Goltsova MV, Vasekin VV, Zhirov GI. Platinum metals key role in hydrogen economy progress and the fundamentals of hydrogen palladium membrane technology. In: Proceedings of International Hydrogen Energy Congress and Exhibition, IHEC-2007. Istanbul, Turkey, 13–15 July. – CD/IHEC07-0967.pdf.

27 A new series of International Conferences “Platinum Metals in the Modern Industry, Hydrogen Energy and Life Maintenance in The Future”. Announcement. Int J Hydrogen Energy 2007;32(15-18); 2008;33(1,2).

Appendix

MEMORANDUM

on a Novel IAHE Conception of Hydrogen Civilization of the Future:

Historical Aspects and New Challenges of the Present Day

We, scientists, engineers, experts, industrialists – representatives of 28 countries, participants of the 5th International IAHE conference “Hydrogen Economy and Hydrogen Treatment of Materials. HTM-2007” (21–25 May 2007, Donetsk, Ukraine), representatives of the elder and younger generations of the World Hydrogen Movement, taking into account that

·  global energy and environment problems causing by fossil fuels continue to grow,

fossil fuels resources are limited, and Hubbert’s peak will be reached in the near future,

·  the world scientific and cultural community separated on different parts, which are considering the above problems from different (sometimes antithetical) viewpoints,

being an active members of the World Hydrogen Movement and wishing to be of assistance in consolidating of the world scientific and cultural community for successful solving the above problems,

discussed and adopted this full-scale Memorandum on historical IAHE activities and IAHE prognosis of the future humankind transition to the Era of Hydrogen Civilization,

called on the world community to concentrate attention and activity on some new challenges of the present day.

1. Historical aspects

Hydrogen, being an effective source of energy, has been systematically attracting scientists and engineers attention during about two hundred years: W. Cecil – 1820–1822; W. Grove – 1839; X. Teitman – 1852; Jules Verne – 1875; R. Erren – the 20th–30th of the 20th century; B. I. Shelisch – 1941–1945 and many, many others. But, as is well known from science and technical history even greatest fundamental ideas give rise to public echo and may be realized in the life only and only in the time, when there appears an industrial suitable demand and public aspiration.

Just in accordance with this historical tendency hydrogen energy conception had its origin and development in the 70th–80th of the 20th century. Really, three objective factors of the world scale changed scientific, technical and public comprehension.

Two of them mentioned above: environmental problem and problem of limited resources of fossil fuels, – were originally perceived on a global scale just at that time. The third factor was of extremely active nature: that was the world energy crisis of the 70th.

18–21 March, 1974 at the landmark The Hydrogen Miami Energy (THEME) Conference a small group of “Hydrogen Romantics” got together. It was agreed and they said aloud: “The Hydrogen Energy System is an idea, whose time is arrived.” International Association for Hydrogen Energy (IAHE) was established, and it has started in earnest to spread the information on Hydrogen Energy Systems. In order to achieve this, a series of conferences were organized (and are being organized) around the world: World Hydrogen Energy Conferences (WHECs) and some international specialized Hydrogen Conferences. Another important activity of IAHE was to establish the International Journal of Hydrogen Energy (IJHE), which started publication in January 1976.

During those years Hydrogen Energy was being also widely discussed in the USSR and received an official acceptance. So, the USSR joined the IAHE.

In the 80th–90th hydrogen energy problems had been investigating already in more than 40 countries; scientific information had been publishing in more than 20 languages and the World Hydrogen Movement has been steadily growing. Since the world economy runs on energy hydrogen economy concept emerged and had been gathering force in all possible directions.

By the end of the 20th century it became absolutely clear for the specialists, that an epoch-making replacement of the general energy carrier would take place in the 21st century. Fossil fuels will be step by step substituted by a new environmentally friendly carrier – hydrogen. More than that, it became absolutely clear that this historical process will subject human life to fundamental transformations: to industrial and to spiritual ones. Thinking of a small IAHE pioneer team about this historical planetary process has originated a novel large-scale IAHE conception of Hydrogen Civilization of the future (HyCi-Conception).

14–18 May, 2001 at the 3rd International IAHE Conference “HTM-2001” (Ukraine, Donetsk) HyCi-conception was for the first time presented to representatives of the World Hydrogen movement. After an active discussion there was accepted the “Memorandum on the Transition from Fossil Systems to Hydrogen Economy and then to Hydrogen Civilization”. The Memorandum was published in a Special Issue of IJHE (2002, vol. 27, p. 725–726) and in many other scientific journals.

It called: “All the members of the hydrogen energy and ecological movements, everybody who cares for the ecological well-being of the humankind, preservation of the Earth’s biosphere and ecosystem, to consolidate the efforts and to contribute to the approaching of the era of hydrogen civilization, the only ecologically clean and worthy civilization of the future.”

At the first years of the 21st century the fundamentals of the novel IAHE Conception on the future transition to the Era of hydrogen civilization were established in full measure and widely presented to the world scientific community at the International Hydrogen Conferences (Yokohama-2004, Donetsk-2004, Istanbul-2005, Moscow-2006, Lyon-2006) and were published in International Journal of Hydrogen Energy (2001, 2006), International Journal of Nuclear Hydrogen Production and Application (2006) and in many other journals and conferences proceedings.

The HyCi-conception has a program nature. The HyCi-conception states that humanity can preclude world ecological catastrophe and conserve the biosphere’s ability to sustain life only by movement along the vector: ‘Hydrogen Energy ® Hydrogen Economy ® Hydrogen Civilization’. Historically prolonged movement in this direction will lead to global transformations in all aspects of human existence, human mentality and human society, the mode of political and international thought, environment and industry friendly development. Correspondingly, the HyCi-conception consists of three interrelated basic component parts: industrial–ecological, humanitarian–cultural, and geopolitical–internationally legislative ones.

The HyCi-conception uncovers the legislative–economical mechanism of the transition to hydrogen civilization. The HyCi-conception formulates the stages of transition to the era of hydrogen civilization that will be put into operation in the 21st century accenting an attention on the world scientific–cultural community future noosphere role, on the principal importance of purposive forming ‘hydrogen–ecological’ mass consciousness and on the role and responsibility of international and regional legislative and political organizations, national parliaments and governments.

Further HyCi-conception development and detailed elaboration must firstly be (and will be) a product of joint collective efforts of the world hydrogen movement, and then would be needed the noosphere efforts of all the world scientific and cultural community.

In conclusion of an analysis of the historical IAHE activity and IAHE prognosis of the future humankind transition to the era of Hydrogen Civilization we, active members of the World Hydrogen Movement would like to call on the World-wide scientific, ecological, cultural, political, industrial and public communities to concentrate attention and activity on new human challenges coming already into play.

2. New challenges of the present day

2.1. Future transition to Hydrogen Economy and then to Hydrogen Civilization will be an historical epoch-making transformation. Such a transformation being of a global scale one cannot be serene in principle. The whole history of engineering proves this. On this way we’ll come across global achievements, and stoppages, and maybe even stepping back.

So, the most important task of the humankind elite is to observe carefully and prevent negative technical and social tendencies of different nature but of “Hindenburg syndrome” similar manner acting.

2.2. Generalized tasks of the future realization demand:

A systemic and synergetic analysis of the possible stages of transition from the fossil fuel system to the hydrogen economy and then to the full hydrogen civilization with an estimation of probabilities of the Earth's biosphere and ecosystem coming into bifurcation states and an analysis of possible ways of further development.

A development and estimation of some possible multi-variant mechanisms of the influence and control of the processes of transition to hydrogen civilization regarding the development of the noosphere and a possibility of the occurrence of new mechanisms of its self-organization.

Analytical and practical activities to stimulate the process of transition to hydrogen civilization, such as:

-  Consolidation of the hydrogen energy and ecological movements and winning over scientific communities of other endeavors to solve complex tasks through systematical studies.

-  Achieving mass “hydrogen–ecological” consciousness; attracting attention of the public at large through the mass media and educational programs at schools, colleges, universities, etc.

-  Initiating extensive discussions and taking in international and regional organizations to enact laws and economic regulations of the processes of transition to the hydrogen economy and then to the hydrogen civilization.

-  Initiating practical activities through the legal and economic controls for the development of hydrogen economy in countries, groups of countries, and the world.

-  Achieving an extensive international cooperation in order to secure the participation’s and contributions of the whole humankind to transition to hydrogen civilization.

2.3. A safety and efficiency of hydrogen industry, hydrogen technologies and hydrogen energy systems are based on the activities of the world hydrogen movement including three large international communities: hydrogen energy, hydrogen–materials and hydrogen–industrialists ones.

At this historical moment one of the crucial questions of the world hydrogen movement is a necessity of a wide information exchange and cooperation between leading representatives of these three communities. Just such cooperation will make possible to anticipate some specific bifurcation points on the road to hydrogen civilization. For example, this way of looking at the problem has already come up with understanding of possible in near future world hydrogen economy commercialization crisis induced by deficit of platinum metals (tens and hundreds of tons of platinum per year).

2.4. Transition to hydrogen economy and then to hydrogen civilization will undoubtedly be accompanied by permanent global and/or local geopolitical and geoeconomical contradictions. In particular, changes in the national interests of many countries will take place – ‘old’ and ‘new’ energy resource owners, changes of geoeconomical interests of transnational energy companies. A polarity reversal might arise in the sphere of geopolotical and geoeconomical attractions and the like.

Generalized task of political elite and of all the humankind is to work steadily under legislative (not by force) governing of possible negative geopolitical and geoeconomical tendencies of the movement on the road to hydrogen civilization.

2.5. The time is ripe to establish an international system transmitting the totality of hydrogen knowledge and experience to generation after generation. Establishment and functioning such an intergeneration system is a necessary condition of the safe and sustainable humankind movement along the environment friendly vector ‘Hydrogen Energy ® Hydrogen Economy ® Hydrogen Civilization’.

3. Elaboration, discussion, adoption:

The Memorandum had been elaborated by IAHE pioneer team constituted from Professor V. A. Goltsov, Professor T. N. Veziroğlu and Dr., Eng. L. F. Goltsova.

The Memorandum has been discussed and adopted in the city Donetsk (Ukraine) on May 25th, 2007 at the Final Plenary Session of the 5th International Conference “Hydrogen Economy and Hydrogen Treatment of Materials” (21–25 May, 2007) and recommended for publication in a special issue of “International Journal of Hydrogen Energy” devoted to this conference as well as in other international and national scientific journals and in the public press.

4. Call for cooperation

We, the participants of the 5th International Conference “Hydrogen Economy and Hydrogen Treatment of Material, HTM-2007 (Donetsk, Ukraine, May 21–25, 2007), active elder and younger members of the World Hydrogen movement call on all members of the world scientific, ecological, cultural communities, industrial and political elites, everybody who cares for the ecological well-being of the humankind, preservation of the Earth’s biosphere and ecosystem, to consolidate the efforts and contribute to the approaching of the Era of Hydrogen Civilization, the only one known as clean, efficient, sustainable, abundant and hospitable to life on the Planet of Earth.

On behalf of the participants – representatives of 28 countries, this Memorandum has been signed by:

Prof. V. А. Goltsov, Ukraine Prof. T. N. Veziroğly, USA Dr. Eng. L. F. Goltsova, Ukraine Prof. E. Türe, Turkey Prof. А. А. Minaev, Ukraine Prof. Yasunori Hayashi, Japan Prof. Bent Sørensen, Denmark Prof. Roger Sierens, Belgium Prof. Giovanni Principi, Italy Prof. Rangan Banerjee, India Prof. R. А. Andrievsky, Russia Prof. А. А. Evdokimov, Russia

Dr. V. V. Vasekin, Russia Assoc. Prof. Siew Hwa Chan, Singapore Assoc. Prof. М. V. Goltsova, Ukraine Manager Philippe Marty, France Prof. V. N. Svidenko, Kyrgyzstan Dr. V. M. Skripnyuk, Israel Assist. Prof. G. I. Zhirov, Ukraine PhD St. Atsushi Unemoto, Japan PhD St. Meng Ni, Hong Kong, China Student N. Grigor’eva, Russia Student А. Lozovskaya, Ukraine Student Ya. Makovskaya, Ukraine