Scientists produce hydrogen from ‘dirty’ seawater

In an article published in the scientific journal Nature Energy, Engineers from China, Australia, and the United States were able to develop a process that uses sea ​​water unprocessed to produce hydrogen. As the research explains, they used electrolysis to separate hydrogen and oxygen from untreated water molecules.

Scientists claim that the use of pure water for hydrogen production can cause deficiencies in drinking water production. The new generation format using untreated water can also help humanity and nature, as hydrogen is recognized as a promising alternative to fossil fuels and does not emit greenhouse gases.

In the electrolysis process, electricity has the ability to separate hydrogen and oxygen from water molecules, but most current processes require clean water. Producing hydrogen with untreated water could make the process cheaper.

hydrogen production

“Using large amounts of high-purity water for hydrogen production can exacerbate the scarcity of freshwater resources. Seawater is abundant but must be desalinated before it can be used in typical proton exchange membrane (PEM) electrolysers,” the study published.

To reduce the cost of production, the scientists were able to use a common metal catalyst coated with a layer of chromium oxide – normally a precious metal catalyst is needed. Although they do not need to purify the water, they do use a filter to remove small solid impurities and microorganisms.

Using a much cheaper system than existing processes to produce hydrogen via electrolysis, the researchers were able to create a nearly 100% efficient format. In any case, more testing is needed to better understand the process and whether it can be scaled up to high hydrogen production.