Researchers at the University of Adelaide in Australia have succeeded in producing pure hydrogen as a fuel from seawater without any filtration. This development is very important as it has the potential to offer very cheap green energy in coastal areas.
Demand for hydrogen fuel is expected to increase in the coming years as the world moves away from fossil fuels. It is a clean source of energy produced by burning water. Until now, seawater had to be purified before electrolysis entered the equation.
But the research team used cobalt oxide with chromium oxide on the surface as a catalyst, getting similar performance to the standard process of applying platinum and iridium as catalysts to obtain filtered and deionized water.
Unlike drinking water, seawater is almost endless, and the ability to produce hydrogen from it without any preparation will significantly reduce costs. The researchers’ next step is to scale up the system with a large electrolyte. The team hopes to soon be able to implement it in commercial hydrogen production systems.
