Researchers from IIT-Madras have developed critical components to efficiently electrolyze seawater and generate hydrogen,
offering a highly efficient and cost-effective method.
Traditional alkaline water electrolysis technology is energy-intensive
It requires an expensive oxide-polymer separator, and uses fresh water.
The IIT-Madras team has addressed these challenges with innovative alternatives.
The team developed an electrolyzer that uses alkaline seawater instead of pure or fresh water, making it more suitable for sustainable hydrogen production.
The use of a carbon-based support material for the electrodes minimizes the risk of corrosion, improving the durability of the electrolyzer.
The researchers designed and developed catalysts based on transition metals that efficiently catalyze both the oxygen and hydrogen evolution reactions, enhancing the production of hydrogen and oxygen.
A novel cellulose-based separator allows hydroxide ions to pass through while preventing the crossover of hydrogen and oxygen.
It offers an economical and resistant alternative to the expensive zirconium oxide-based separators.
The optimized parameters and catalysts enable simultaneous and enhanced production of hydrogen at the cathode and oxygen at the anode, overcoming challenges like impurity adsorption and hypochlorite formation.
The system can directly use photovoltaic-derived voltage for green hydrogen production.
Two prototypes of different dimensions were developed to assess viability.
The smaller electrolyzer produces hydrogen at a rate of 250 ml per hour, while the larger one produces about one liter per hour.
A stack of three cells produced approximately four liters per hour.
Potential Impact:
It opens up possibilities for efficient and cost-effective green hydrogen production using seawater electrolysis
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