Hydrogen production with reduced energy consumption for use in fuel cells and energy sector

Abstract

Abstract The possibility of increasing the hydrogen release rate and reducing energy consumption was analyzed using a system in which the anodic process of metal (aluminum) dissolution occurred on one electrode and the process of H2 release - on the other (nickel) electrode. The possibility of generating hydrogen with a current density of ~ 400 mA cm–2 in NaOH solutions with a concentration of 6 ÷ 8 mol L–1 at a cell voltage of ~ 0.5 V was confirmed. When the electrodes were short-circuited, hydrogen was generated on nickel when aluminum was dissolved at a rate corresponding to current density ~ 100 mA cm–2. The possibility of simultaneous hydrogen production and electricity generation in the system under consideration was shown. It was found that the maximum net power was generated in 6 M NaOH. The specific power in such a solution can reach a value of 8 W cm–2 at a cell voltage of about 0.15 V. In this case, the hydrogen release rate corresponded to a current density of 60 mA cm–2.