Hydrogen as a reducing agent: State-of-the-art science and technology

In principle, hydrogen can be applied as a reducing agent for the production of many metals. It has found commercial application for the synthesis of platinum group metals, some rare metals such as germanium and rhenium, and for the production of special grades of metals (e.g., fine nickel and cobalt powders) However, hydrogen is primarily applied for the synthesis of tungsten and molybdenum, with very pure metal powders resulting from the hydrogen reduction of their oxides. This paper presents an overview of the state of the art and recent research on reduction by hydrogen.