New membrane technology key to low-cost hydrogen production
Green hydrogen, produced from water electrolysis fed by renewable energy, has the potential to power our vehicles, store energy and transform currently polluting industrial processes. Water electrolysis involves using electricity to split water into oxygen and hydrogen. “Electrolytic hydrogen produced from water and renewable energy sources is truly green,” explains ANIONE project coordinator Antonino Aricò from the National Research Council in Italy. “This is because it produces zero carbon. In order to ensure widespread market uptake of such technologies however, a drastic reduction of both capital and operating costs is needed.”
Hydrocarbon membranes with high conductivity
The ANIONE project sought to address this, by developing a highly efficient means of producing hydrogen. “Our aim was to contribute towards the creation of a decentralised hydrogen production infrastructure, with the goal of eventually reaching net zero CO2 emissions in the EU by 2050,” says Aricò. To do this, ANIONE researchers focused on advancing a cutting-edge technology called anion exchange membrane (AEM) water electrolysis. The hope is that this will facilitate the production of low-cost hydrogen from renewable sources at a large scale. “In this project, we developed hydrocarbon AEM membranes with high conductivity and stability,” notes Aricò. “These membranes were produced in conjunction with electrocatalysts and membrane-electrode assemblies, all made from non-critical raw materials (non-CRMs).” The materials were first screened and evaluated in terms of performance and stability. Their durability under dynamic operating conditions was analysed as well. “We also carried out an analysis where economic advantages were identified,” adds Aricò. An exploitation plan was then developed, identifying how the project’s innovations could be brought to market. The ANIONE consortium included electrolyser manufacturer as well as membrane, catalyst and AEM suppliers.
Validating anion exchange membrane technology
The project successfully validated this new technology in a 2 kW AEM electrolyser. These trials helped to demonstrate the effectiveness of the innovation, along with its low energy consumption. All this was achieved while using relatively cheap and widely available materials and components. “We were able to show enhanced performance and stability compared to the state of the art,” says Aricò. “Next steps include developing a large AEM electrolyser, using the technology that was developed here.” This represents a scaling up factor of 100, and underlines the project team’s ambitions. Other plans for the future include building and demonstrating an AEM electrolyser that is fully integrated with the grid, in order to test and validate the technology from the perspective of a customer. “All these steps will require further R&D that focuses on improving performance, as well as cost reductions,” says Aricò. “Further ahead, market entry and business development will require government incentives, support and awareness raising.”
New jobs in green hydrogen production
ANIONE has played a significant role in validating AEM technology, and bringing cost-effective and green energy sourced from hydrogen a step closer to reality. The project has shown that sourcing stable and cost-effective non-CRM components for AEM water electrolysers is possible, and that this technology can be run highly efficiently. “ANIONE has contributed to several important concerns such as renewable hydrogen production, energy savings and energy security in Europe,” notes Aricò. “Low-cost electrolysis also has the potential to create new jobs in distributed hydrogen production.”
Keywords
ANIONE, hydrogen, energy, electrolytic, renewable, hydrocarbon, electricity, anion exchange membrane