22 March 2021 Experiencia y Trayectoria

Rhenium and green hydrogen: Molymet seeking to innovate through renewable energies commitment

At Molymet we are committed to working sustainably and to encouraging innovation. We are keenly aware of the
need to move towards the decarbonization of energy systems and to continue making progress in the use of
renewable energies.
The production of hydrogen is an emerging trend that has the potential to move us towards clean, low-carbon
energy systems.

Chile has an abundance of sunshine and water, renewable energy sources that could enable the country to
produce green hydrogen. This new field has the advantage of generating zero carbon emissions and can be
transformed into electricity in a fuel cell.
Platinum group metals are currently being used as catalysts for producing hydrogen, however, rhenium is one of
the principal candidates to replace them.

Not only does rhenium possess excellent electrocatalytic qualities, but it is also 25 times cheaper than platinum
and can be produced sustainably since it is a by-product of other processes.
Chile is the world leader in rhenium production and Molymet has the largest processing capacity for the metal,
making it a benchmark in the industry. This has motivated us to become protagonists in this industry and is why
today we are calling for global innovation and proposals for the use of rhenium as a catalyst in hydrogen
production.

Our aim is to select the best ideas and promote the development of prototypes, a challenge that we have taken
on with our strategic partner, NineSigma, one of the largest and oldest open innovation agencies in the world.
Through this alliance, we hope to reach a wide range of institutions and companies, thus attracting innovative and
interesting projects for this challenge.