The overall objective of the ANIONE project was to develop a high-performance, cost-effective and durable anion exchange membrane water electrolysis technology. The approach regarded the use of an anion exchange membrane (AEM) and ionomer dispersion in the catalytic layers for hydroxide ion conduction. This system combines the advantages of both proton exchange membrane and liquid electrolyte alkaline technologies allowing the scalable production of low-cost hydrogen from renewable sources. The focus was on developing hydrocarbon AEM membranes consisting of either poly(arylene) or poly(olefin) backbone with quaternary ammonium hydroxide groups carried on tethers anchored on the polymeric backbone. Advanced short side chain Aquivion-based anion exchange polymer membranes comprising a perfluorinated backbone and pendant chains, covalently bonded to the perfluorinated backbone, with quaternary ammonium groups are developed in parallel. The goal was to achieve for the AEM membranes conductivity and stability comparable to their protonic analogous and novel nanofiber reinforcements for improved mechanical stability and reduced gas crossover. The project validated a 2 kW AEM electrolyser with a hydrogen production rate of about 0.4 Nm3/h (TRL 4) as proof-of-concept of the new technology.
Innovative anion exchange membranes were developed in conjunction with non-critical raw materials (CRMs)-based high surface area electrocatalysts and membrane-electrode assemblies also based on CRM-free components. Cost-effective stack hardware materials and novel stack designs contribute to decrease the capital costs of these systems. After appropriate screening of active materials, in terms of performance and stability, in single cells, these components were validated in a pressurised AEM electrolysis stack and assessed in terms of performance, load range and durability under steady-state and dynamic operating conditions. The developed solutions were expected to contribute significantly to reducing the electrolyser CAPEX and OPEX costs. The project has delivered a techno-economic analysis and an exploitation plan for successive developments with the aim to bring the innovations to market. The aim is to contribute to the roadmap addressing the achievement of a wide scale decentralised hydrogen production infrastructure with the long-term goal to reach net zero CO2 emissions in EU by 2050.
