Invited Speaker
Prof. Ricardo Alves de Sousa
Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Aveiro, PortugalSpeech Title: On the Use of Cork Composites for Hydrogen-based Applications
Abstract: Hydrogen is clearly one of the protagonists of the energy transition. Currently, there are more than a thousand projects announced globally for the development of hydrogen technologies with a focus on carbon neutrality by 2050. Hydrogen consumption has been close to its production, which means that its storage and long-distance transport do not yet play a decisive role in its value chain. However, with the introduction of the concept of green hydrogen, using renewable energy as an energy source for electrolysis, hydrogen production may not coincide with peak consumption times. This makes storage crucial to meet demand. For hydrogen storage, it is essential to ensure the isolation of reservoirs in order to preserve the hydrogen's conditions. Cork, due to its cellular structure, combines a set of thermal insulation and crashworthiness properties allied to low density, that make it a suitable material for this type of application. In this presentation, different opportunities were analyzed where the mechanical impact requirements and fire resistance were studied as well as permeability. It is shown that cork composites, alone or combined with other materials, can contribute to a more sustainable solution, performing similarly to the solutions traditionally used.
Keywords: Cork, Hydrogen, Composites.
Acknowledgements: The present study was developed in the scope of the Project “Agenda ILLIANCE” [C644919832-00000035 | Project No. 46], financed by PRR – Plano de Recuperação e Resiliência under the Next Generation EU from the European Union.
Biography: Ricardo Alves de Sousa is a Full Professor in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Aveiro, specializing in advanced computational and experimental mechanics. His research focuses on biomechanics (head and neck injury prevention), sustainable cork-based composites, and innovative incremental sheet forming technologies. With over 180 peer-reviewed publications (h-index 34 Scopus / 40 Google Scholar) and multiple patents, his pioneering work in green materials and advanced manufacturing has earned top international accolades, including the ESAFORM Prize, the APCOR Prize, and the University of Aveiro Researcher Award.