Corrosion Prevention for the Use of Renewable Energy

Abstract

Extrapolation of primary energy consumption of the world between 1990 and 2003 will result in the complete exhaustion of oil, uranium, natural gas and coal reserves in 2030, 2038, 2040 and 2061, respectively. We are proposing global carbon dioxide recycling to use solar energy for all people in the whole world. The electricity will be generated by solar cells in the deserts and be used for production of hydrogen by seawater electrolysis at the nearby desert coasts. Hydrogen for which there is no mass transportation technology will be converted to methane at the desert coasts by the reaction with carbon dioxide recovered by energy consumers. Among systems in global carbon dioxide recycling, seawater electrolysis and methane formation have not been performed industrially. We tailored anodes for oxygen evolution without chlorine formation in seawater electrolysis, energy-saving cathodes for hydrogen production and ideal catalysts for methane formation by the reaction of carbon dioxide with hydrogen. Prevention of corrosion degradation of the key materials is the most important subject for success of the global carbon dioxide recycling.