Chinese team proposes a new strategy for producing hydrogen by direct seawater electrolysis with alternating current
Alternating-current seawater electrolysis for hydrogen production helps enable on-site hydrogen generation at sea, suppresses precipitate formation, and reduces costs No pre-treatment or ion-exchange membrane required; click to learn about a new solution coupling offshore wind power and photovoltaics
A team from the Technical Institute of Physics and Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, recently proposed a new method for hydrogen production by directly electrolyzing seawater with alternating current, aiming to promote onsite hydrogen production from offshore power generation. The achievement was released on October 1, and the related paper has been published in the international academic journal Angewandte Chemie.
The research team explained that traditional directcurrent seawater electrolysis for hydrogen production is prone to precipitates formed by magnesium and calcium ions, which adhere to the electrodes and membrane, affecting efficiency and increasing system losses. The new strategy takes advantage of the periodic polarity reversal of alternating current, allowing the same electrode to alternate between the cathode and anode, thereby reducing the accumulation of hydroxide ions on the electrode surface and suppressing precipitate formation.
The study also showed that this method does not require seawater pretreatment or an ionexchange membrane, which can reduce hydrogen production costs and system complexity and make it easier to couple with renewable energy sources such as offshore wind power and photovoltaics. By coupling an ethylene glycol oxidation reaction, the team also achieved coproduction of hydrogen and glycolic acid, enhancing its application potential.