It’s possible that I shall make an ass of myself. But in that case one can always get out of it with a little dialectic. I have, of course, so worded my proposition as to be right either way (K.Marx, Letter to F.Engels on the Indian Mutiny)
Saturday, July 27, 2024
H2
Green hydrogen from direct seawater electrolysis- experts warn against hype
DSE electrolyzers are not necessary - a simple desalination process is sufficient to prepare seawater for conventional electrolyzers. In a commentary in Joule, international experts compare the costs and benefits of the different approaches.
HELMHOLTZ-ZENTRUM BERLIN FÜR MATERIALIEN UND ENERGIE
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COMPARISON OF THE ENERGY AND OVERALL COSTS OF SEAWATER PURIFICATION AND ELECTROLYSIS
At first glance, the plan sounds compelling: invent and develop future electrolysers capable of producing hydrogen directly from unpurified seawater. But a closer look reveals that such direct seawater electrolysers would require years of high-end research. And what is more: DSE electrolyzers are not even necessary - a simple desalination process is sufficient to prepare seawater for conventional electrolyzers. In a commentary in Joule, international experts compare the costs and benefits of the different approaches and come to a clear recommendation.
Fresh water is a limited resource; more than 96% of the world's water is found in the oceans. If seawater could be fed directly into a future electrolyser to produce green hydrogen using renewable energy from the wind or sun, it sounds like a very good solution. Hundreds of millions of dollars in research fundingare spend for this idea and, in 2023 alone, there have been more than 500 publications (this number is growing exponentially) on direct seawater electrolysis.
No need for new development
However, a techno-economic analysis shows that this argument collapses as soon as the costs and benefits are analysed in more detail. "There is no convincing reason to develop DSE technology because there are already efficient solutions for using seawater to produce hydrogen," says Dr Jan Niklas Hausmann, electrolysis researcher at HZB and lead author of the Joule commentary. International experts from various disciplines from renowned research institutions such as Yale University, universities in Canada, Germany and HZB contributed to the commentary.
Proven methods work
It is already possible to use seawater to produce hydrogen. Proven processes such as reverse osmosis can be used to purify seawater for "normal", commercially available electrolysers. From a thermodynamic point of view, the purification of seawater needs only 0.03% of the energy required for its electrolysis. This is also reflected in the current cost: purifying seawater to produce one kilogram of hydrogen costs less than two cents. However, one kilogram of hydrogen costs 13.85 euros at German filling stations.
Investing money wisely
The development of new types of electrolysers that can operate steadily in seawater would only save this cheap purification step. In contrast, the development of DSE electrolysers is extremely challenging and it is highly questionable whether they will ever be able to match the efficiency and long-term stability of today's electrolysers. Experts see major challenges here: Seawater contains a wide variety of organic and inorganic substances that can cause corrosion and fouling, affecting all parts of the electrolyser. DSE is currently being advertised as a real-world solution for hydrogen production - A promise that cannot be kept and could swallow up a lot of taxpayers' money, the researchers warn.
"We can compare this with the direct use of crude oil to run cars" explains Jan Niklas Hausmann: "It is possible to develop such cars, but they would just not be as efficient and long-lasting as ones running on purified petrol. This is despite the fact that the cost of purifying crude oil (via refinery) is up to 16% of the final price of the fuel, which is significantly higher than the relative cost of purifying seawater for electrolysis (<1%)."
Getting electrolysis research on track to contribute to decarbonisation
"Academic research does not necessarily have to lead to immediate solutions. However, if DSE is presented as a quick fix and is pushed or hyped to the detriment of other more promising approaches, it will tie up resources that will be lacking elsewhere for the development of key decarbonisation technologies," explains Dr Prashanth Menezes, an expert on catalysts at HZB.
"If we want to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2050, funding must be directed to developments that can quickly contribute to this," says Menezes.
Focusing on the development of direct seawater electrolysis misspends limited funding resources
CREDIT
N. Hausmann/HZB in Joule
Key points of the techno-economic analysis:
Commercially already available water purification such as reverse osmosis treats seawater to make it suitable for "normal" electrolysers. The relative costs of this are very low.
Direct seawater electrolysis poses major challenges for the electrolysers to be developed:
Biofouling processes
Corrosion
Short lifetime and smaller flexibility of electrolysers
Conclusion: The enormous sums of money required for the development of DSE would be better invested in the further optimisation of electrolysers that use highly purified water instead. This is because the water purification process hardly incurs any costs.
Note: Experts from various disciplines contributed to this commentary: Prof Elimelech and Prof Winter are experts in water purification technologies and authors of a recent report on the use of various impure water sources for hydrogen production, Prof Khan and Prof Kibria are experts in renewable energy storage technologies and their techno-economic analysis and authors of a recent report on the techno-economic aspects of DSE. Dr Sontheimer is an expert in energy technologies and the interaction between science, industry and policy stakeholders; Dr Hausmann and Dr Menezes are experts in materials science, catalysis and water splitting and have recently published a techno-economic analysis of DSE.
Commentary: Hyping Direct Seawater Electrolysis Hinders Electrolyzer Development
ARTICLE PUBLICATION DATE
25-Jul-2024
NUS Centre for Hydrogen Innovations opens state-of-the-art facility dedicated to advancing hydrogen research, training and collaborations
Eight projects have been selected for potential funding, with the aim of realising a quantum leap in hydrogen innovation and commercialisation - Efforts are underway to strengthen the hydrogen talent pipeline
THE NUS CENTRE FOR HYDROGEN INNOVATIONS WAS OFFICIALLY LAUNCHED BY DR TAN SEE LENG, MINISTER FOR MANPOWER AND SECOND MINISTER FOR TRADE AND INDUSTRY (MIDDLE). HE WAS ACCOMPANIED BY PROFESSOR TAN ENG CHYE (THIRD FROM RIGHT), NUS PRESIDENT; MR RUSSELL THAM (THIRD FROM LEFT), HEAD, EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES, TEMASEK; AND REPRESENTATIVES OF NUS AND TEMASEK.
Giving Singapore’s National Hydrogen Strategy a big push, the National University of Singapore (NUS) today officially launched its Centre for Hydrogen Innovations (CHI) with the inauguration of an advance research facility as the Centre’s flagship innovation hub. Spanning over 600 square metres and furnished with state-of-the-art research equipment, the new facility aims to boost hydrogen research and commercial application in Singapore.
The launch of CHI was officiated by Dr Tan See Leng, Minister for Manpower and Second Minister for Trade and Industry, in the presence of distinguished guests from the hydrogen research and industry ecosystem in Singapore.
CHI was first established as a virtual Centre in July 2022 through an investment of S$25 million, comprising a S$15 million endowed gift from Temasek, and along with additional funding from NUS. The Centre takes a holistic approach to tackle technological and infrastructural challenges in enabling a hydrogen economy through harnessing a broad spectrum of expertise, including science and engineering, from various entities at NUS. At CHI, research activities are organised under four key areas: green hydrogen production, hydrogen storage, hydrogen carrier systems, and hydrogen utilisation.
Over the last two years, CHI has provided more than S$4.2 million in grants to support 17 innovative projects in hydrogen-related research. The Centre has also been very successful in securing external grants, including a grant of S$8 million awarded recently to CHI under the Low Carbon Energy Research programme to conduct research on ammonia combustion.
NUS President Professor Tan Eng Chye said, “NUS strives to catalyse change and shape a more sustainable future in our core mission areas of education, research and innovation, and in operations and administration. The launch of the Centre for Hydrogen Innovations represents a bold, significant step that NUS is taking towards building a sustainable future. The Centre is taking off on a strong start, and I look forward to its contributions towards knowledge building, Singapore’s climate target of net zero emissions target by 2050, and the global fight against climate change.”
Mr Russell Tham, Head, Emerging Technologies, Temasek, said, “Tackling today’s complex sustainability challenges demands a comprehensive, whole-of-system approach, and multi-stakeholder collaboration. A blend of sustained STEM-based R&D; technology-savvy entrepreneurs and investors; global and cross-sector partnerships; and diverse public and private capital with the risk appetite and stamina, can cultivate a vibrant deep-tech innovation ecosystem. As a co-founder of Centre for Hydrogen Innovations with NUS, we are committed to leveraging our capabilities and networks to help advance low-carbon hydrogen technologies and strengthen their pathways for broader adoption.”
CHI’s new research facility will anchor the Centre’s cutting-edge research while boosting its efforts in education and industry collaboration. Some state-of-the-art equipment featured in the facility include a four-channel reactor for carbon dioxide hydrogenation; a catalyst synthesis robot that automates the process of creating catalysts required for hydrogen-related research; prototyping, testing and characterisation tools; as well as a dedicated section for scientific work involving ammonia, which requires special handling and storage precautions.
Pushing the boundaries of hydrogen research
To further strengthen the research infrastructure of Singapore’s future hydrogen economy, CHI has selected eight promising projects for potential funding, and these projects are in two broad areas: disruptive research to achieve a quantum leap in hydrogen technologies, and creation of market-oriented prototypes to pave the way for the commercialisation of innovative hydrogen technologies.
Please refer to the Annexe for some of these interesting projects.
Building a strong talent pool for a vibrant hydrogen economy
CHI intends to further expand the talent pool for hydrogen professionals in Singapore. The Centre plans to recruit about 10 polymathic scholars with interdisciplinary expertise and train 10 PhD students to enhance its research capabilities and strengthen CHI’s current team of 32 principal investigators and 4 PhD students. CHI will also be introducing courses in hydrogen technologies to prepare learners for the future hydrogen economy.
To promote greater public awareness of the benefits of hydrogen energy, CHI has recently organised the “Hydrogen Innovation Challenge”. In this competition, student teams created Instagram reels to express their visions for Singapore’s transition to hydrogen energy. These videos were open for public voting and reviewed by a judging panel comprising experts in the field, and the shortlisted teams were then challenged with a quiz. Three winning teams received prizes during today’s official opening event.
Partnering the industry to boost hydrogen transition
To promote the adoption of hydrogen technologies, CHI has been actively engaging industry partners to leverage complementary strengths in a bid to accelerate innovation, scale up technologies more efficiently, and address complex challenges associated with hydrogen production, distribution, and utilisation.
CHI has established close collaborations with 17 industry partners - ranging from global companies to small and medium-size enterprises. For example, CHI researchers are working with Siemens Energy to develop a novel gas turbine technology that can utilise partially cracked ammonia as feedstock. In another project, CHI researchers are working with Chevron to develop a direct “liquid hydrogen carrier” production process via electrocatalysis.
CHI aims to further enhance its engagement with industry, and ultimately driving the transition towards a more sustainable energy future.
Please visit hydrogen.nus.edu.sg for more information on CHI.
Professor Yan Ning (left), Director of NUS Centre for Hydrogen Innovations, giving guidance to a researcher for his research on carbon capture, utilisation, and storage.
Researchers at the NUS Centre for Hydrogen Innovations will develop novel catalysts and processes for the cracking of ammonia to generate hydrogen.
Developing automated production of novel catalysts using cutting-edge robotic synthesis
Researchers at the NUS Centre for Hydrogen Innovations will develop automated production of novel catalysts using cutting-edge robotic synthesis.
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