University of Melbourne's Department of Chemical Engineering’s scientists have discovered a way to create green hydrogen using only electricity and humidity.The paper claims that green hydrogen is created by electrolyzing air humidity rather than conventional liquid water, which could make it possible to supply hydrogen fuel in dry and remote regions with little negative environmental impact, especially if renewable energy is used. The air's water could be electrolyzed by researchers at humidity levels as low as 4%. The University of Melbourne's Department of Chemical Engineering senior lecturer Gang Kevin Li said “We have created a device known as a direct air electrolyzer or DAE. A hygroscopic electrolyte subjected to the atmosphere continuously is used in this module. When coupled with a renewable power source, this electrolyte has a high potential for spontaneously extracting moisture from the air without the need for external energy, making it easily accessible for electrolysis and hydrogen production. Only hydrogen and oxygen have traditionally been extracted from liquid water by electrolysis, which involves submerging two electrodes in the water and passing an electrical current through it. Electrons are ripped from water at the anode, the positively charged electrode, creating positive hydrogen ions and O2 molecules. The hydrogen ions receive electrons at the negative cathode, resulting in the formation of hydrogen gas, or H2. This method has, however, typically required having access to water. Due to the potential for competition with scarce supplies of drinking water, this restricts the use of liquid water electrolysis to locations where there is a sufficient supply of water.” The DAE eliminates this risk and the associated cost and makes it possible to produce hydrogen anywhere by collecting the water that is already present in the air. DAE module can be used in remote, arid, as well as semi-arid environments where access to fresh water is a major issue because it can use moisture from the air. At 4% relative humidity, which is drier than any desert, the DAE module was tested. The Mojave Desert's average relative humidity varies from 10% to 30% during the day and can reach 50% at night, which means that the DAE would still function even in arid regions. The prototype of this device, which was tested using solar energy as input, had a stable Faradaic efficiency of about 95% over the course of 12 consecutive days,. This new method has the advantage that it can both consume and generate renewable energy: the electrolysis's electricity can be generated using renewable energy sources like solar or wind power, and the green hydrogen produced can be used as fuel or even to power hydrogen nuclear fusion reactions.
University of Melbourne's Department of Chemical Engineering’s scientists have discovered a way to create green hydrogen using only electricity and humidity.The paper claims that green hydrogen is created by electrolyzing air humidity rather than conventional liquid water, which could make it possible to supply hydrogen fuel in dry and remote regions with little negative environmental impact, especially if renewable energy is used. The air's water could be electrolyzed by researchers at humidity levels as low as 4%. The University of Melbourne's Department of Chemical Engineering senior lecturer Gang Kevin Li said “We have created a device known as a direct air electrolyzer or DAE. A hygroscopic electrolyte subjected to the atmosphere continuously is used in this module. When coupled with a renewable power source, this electrolyte has a high potential for spontaneously extracting moisture from the air without the need for external energy, making it easily accessible for electrolysis and hydrogen production. Only hydrogen and oxygen have traditionally been extracted from liquid water by electrolysis, which involves submerging two electrodes in the water and passing an electrical current through it. Electrons are ripped from water at the anode, the positively charged electrode, creating positive hydrogen ions and O2 molecules. The hydrogen ions receive electrons at the negative cathode, resulting in the formation of hydrogen gas, or H2. This method has, however, typically required having access to water. Due to the potential for competition with scarce supplies of drinking water, this restricts the use of liquid water electrolysis to locations where there is a sufficient supply of water.” The DAE eliminates this risk and the associated cost and makes it possible to produce hydrogen anywhere by collecting the water that is already present in the air. DAE module can be used in remote, arid, as well as semi-arid environments where access to fresh water is a major issue because it can use moisture from the air. At 4% relative humidity, which is drier than any desert, the DAE module was tested. The Mojave Desert's average relative humidity varies from 10% to 30% during the day and can reach 50% at night, which means that the DAE would still function even in arid regions. The prototype of this device, which was tested using solar energy as input, had a stable Faradaic efficiency of about 95% over the course of 12 consecutive days,. This new method has the advantage that it can both consume and generate renewable energy: the electrolysis's electricity can be generated using renewable energy sources like solar or wind power, and the green hydrogen produced can be used as fuel or even to power hydrogen nuclear fusion reactions.
