Researchers from RMIT University have made a breakthrough in the production of green hydrogen by developing a method to split seawater directly into hydrogen and oxygen without the need for desalination. This is a critical step towards creating a commercially viable green hydrogen industry that is 100% carbon-free across its entire production life cycle.
Hydrogen is a promising clean fuel that could help solve critical energy challenges, particularly in industries that are difficult to decarbonize like aviation, shipping, and manufacturing. However, almost all the world’s hydrogen is currently produced from fossil fuels, resulting in approximately 830 million tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions each year. Green hydrogen made by splitting water is expensive and commercially unviable, accounting for only 1% of global hydrogen production.
The new method developed by RMIT University researchers is simple, scalable, and more cost-effective than current green hydrogen approaches on the market. The team has developed a special type of catalyst that can split seawater into hydrogen and oxygen, which can be manufactured cost-effectively and run at room temperature with very little energy. The catalyst also has no chlorine production, a toxic by-product of traditional electrolysis methods.
The researchers have filed a provisional patent application for their method, which has the potential to significantly reduce the cost of electrolysers to meet the Australian Government’s goal for green hydrogen production of $2/kilogram. They are now working with industry partners to develop aspects of this technology and plan to build a prototype electrolyser that combines a series of catalysts to produce large quantities of hydrogen.
This breakthrough could advance the establishment of a thriving green hydrogen industry that is not only sustainable but also preserves the world’s freshwater reserves. The researchers’ method has the potential to bring down the cost of green hydrogen production, making it competitive with fossil fuel-sourced hydrogen, and could be a major step towards a more sustainable future.
Source: https://www.rmit.edu.au/news/all-news/2023/feb/hydrogen-seawater