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Electrolysis of seawater without side effects, corrosion problems or the need to pre-clean the water


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A team of researchers affiliated with various institutions in China has developed an electrolyte that works with native seawater and has no side effects or corrosion problems. In their study, published in the journal Nature, the team tested their process in a real-world location. Heping Xie, together with Shenzhen University, published the Research Summary in the same journal issue outlining this new effort.

As scientists became aware of the problems associated with combustion fossil fuel, they have turned their attention to alternative fuel sources for energy generation. One possibility is hydrogen, a gas that can burn without producing harmful greenhouse gases. However, hydrogen has posed problems regarding its creation and storage.

Electrolysis is a method of generating hydrogen that uses electricity to water to split water into its oxygen and hydrogen components. Unfortunately, currently electrolysis method requires almost pure water. In this new effort, researchers have developed an electrolysis process that uses seawatera source far from pure.

The process involves a film similar to that used in waterproof clothing. It has holes that are small enough to allow individual molecules to pass through, but prohibits molecules from clumping together, as is the case with water. In their device, the outer part of the membrane is exposed to seawater while the inner part is exposed to a small amount of potassium hydroxide (KOH). Inside the bag containing the KOH, the team placed hydrogen- and oxygen-generating electrodes on both sides of the separator, helping to keep the gas streams clean.

In fact, when the device is immersed in seawater, the water inside splits, creating hydrogen and oxygen. That reduces the concentration of KOH, pulling more seawater into the device, allowing it to run continuously. In the device, a small amount of seawater is kept in a vapor state, allowing it to pass through the membrane cleanly, where it once again returns to the aqueous state, providing purified water for electrolysis. The vent pipe oxygen to collect hydrogen.

The researchers tested their device in Shenzhen Bay (just north of Hong Kong). Measurements show it is capable of generating as much hydrogen as conventional methods, and it is also durable—it has run for 3,200 hours with no signs of deterioration.

More information:
Heping Xie et al, Membrane-based seawater electrolysis machine for hydrogen generation, Nature (2022). DOI: 10.1038/s41586-022-05379-5

A practical method to split seawater into hydrogen fuel, Nature (2022). DOI: 10.1038/d41586-022-03601-y

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quote: Electrolysis of seawater without side effects, corrosion problems, or need for pre-filtration (2022, Dec. 1) retrieved Dec. 2, 2022 from https://techxplore.com/news/2022 -12-electrolyzing-seawater-side-reactions -corrosion-problems.html

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