Endless Green Hydrogen from Seawater Using Water-Splitting Device
Here’s an article posted in Chemistry World.
According to the world,
- A new water-splitting device can produce hydrogen directly from seawater, combining desalination and electrolysis in a single process.
- The device uses a low-energy method to purify seawater, making it viable for hydrogen production.
- Seawater impurities, particularly chloride ions, usually complicate electrolysis by causing corrosion, but this system overcomes that issue.
- The system operates through a phase transition method that purifies seawater inside the electrochemical cell itself.
- After successful laboratory tests, a demonstration device ran effectively for 133 days in Shenzhen Bay, showing the system’s practicality for extended use.
- While promising, further development is needed to enhance the system’s efficiency and adapt it for industrial applications.
More details about the content:
- Innovative Approach: The researchers in China have developed an innovative approach that combines desalination and electrolysis into a single system. This system utilizes a low-energy method to purify seawater directly within the electrochemical cell, making it one of the first viable approaches to use seawater as a source of hydrogen.
- Purification Process: The purification process involves harnessing the power of evaporation. A porous PTFE-based membrane separates seawater from the inside of the cell, while a concentrated potassium hydroxide solution surrounds the electrodes. The potassium hydroxide solution has a higher concentration than the salt concentration in seawater, creating a driving force for water vapor migration through the membrane.
- Dynamic Balance System: The system maintains a continuous driving force for water migration by consuming purified water through electrolysis. This creates a dynamic balance where the rate of water migration adjusts according to the electrolysis rate, ensuring that pure water is used as fast as it’s produced.
- Demonstration of Feasibility: The researchers conducted successful laboratory trials and installed a demo device in Shenzhen Bay. The compact unit ran for an initial test period of 133 days, producing over a million liters of hydrogen without any evident corrosion of the catalyst or increase in impurities.
- Future Development: While the technology shows promise, further development is needed to make seawater electrolysis systems more relevant to industrial applications. This includes achieving higher current densities and reducing energy consumption. The researchers are actively working on improving the performance of catalysts and reducing energy consumption to make the technology more viable for industrial use.
- Potential Applications: The article highlights the potential of this technology beyond hydrogen production, suggesting that the liquid-gas-liquid phase transition mechanism could be used in other fuel production and resource recovery fields.
Overall, the process described in the article represents a significant advancement in the field of hydrogen production from seawater, offering a practical and scalable solution with potential applications beyond hydrogen production.
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