A Revolutionary High Purity Hydrogen Production Technology using Hydroelectric Cell for Zero-Carbon Credit

First time in the world, high purity (99.98%) hydrogen is generated using hydroelectric cell by water splitting at very low applied power. Hydroelectric cell is a simple portable device to produce high-purity hydrogen gas. The existing hydrogen industry and its supply chain are expected to serve as a platform for future energy uses of hydrogen. The innovative hydroelectric cell technique is ready to serve in the hydrogen market. Four 3-inch hydroelectric cells dipped in deionized water in a sealed chamber energized with 10 W power generate 2 litres of hydrogen gas in 30 minutes in the prototype setup.

The carbon dioxide (CO₂) emission has scaled to 34 Gigatonnes (Gt) per year globally and is expected to increase to 52-58 Gt/year by 2030. Such huge emission of CO₂ has an adverse effect on climate, from melting of ice in the Arctic to atmospheric pollution. The COP26 meeting in Paris on global climate change in October 2021 has decided to meet the goal of a 1.5°C increase in climate globally by mitigating pathways to reduce CO₂ emissions. To reduce CO₂ emissions, the only alternative is to use clean energy. Hydrogen is one of the cleanest fuels and has a major role in zero-carbon credit. Hydrogen has almost three times the energy density (120 MJ/kg) of diesel or even gasoline. In electrical terms, the energy density of hydrogen is 33.6-kilowatt hour (kWh) of usable energy/kg, compared to diesel’s 12-14 kWh/kg. Despite having significantly lesser energy density, diesel emits severely high levels of CO₂, CO, particulate matters and NO₂. Therefore, in the current scenario, the energy generation focus has been shifted more towards alternative energy sources such as solar, wind, hydrogen energy etc. In this context, highly pure hydrogen 99.98% is produced from water dissociation by uniquely processed ferrite fabricated as hydroelectric cell in a prototype setup on applying a low power. Hydrogen gas production from Hydroelectric cell causes zero CO₂ emission, is cost-effective and portable with high yield and facile innovative technique compared to the existing electrolysis methods. It is a clean method, with no addition to global warming, and a complete environment-friendly process to produce high-purity hydrogen.

Hydrogen is produced from water dissociation at room temperature by uniquely processed magnesium ferrite using the solid-state method. Ferrite is processed to induce oxygen vacancies and nanoporous structure followed by pelletization. The hydroelectric cell is fabricated by applying zinc and silver electrodes on the pellets. Hydroelectric cell spontaneously chemidissociates water into H⁺ and OH^– ions and nanopores create high potential by concentrating the H⁺ ions that sustain the dissociation of physisorbed water. Ions diffuse toward respective electrodes and produce zinc hydroxide at the anode and hydrogen gas at the inert silver cathode. A set of four hydroelectric cells is kept in deionized water in a sealed container with a gas outlet and electrode connecting wires taken out from the lid. Low power of 10-15 Watt is applied to the cells and water splitting takes place. Redox reaction occurr at electrodes and generates hydrogen and zinc hydroxide. Two-liter gas is generated by applying 10 Watt power for 30 minutes on the four sets of hydroelectric cells.

Hydrogen is used in the refining industry as a petrochemical for hydrocracking and desulphurization. In the chemical industry, it is used for production of ammonia and fertilizers for agriculture. It also has applications in the metal production & fabrication, methanol production, food processing and electronics sectors. As an “industrial gas”, hydrogen is already a big global business. Hydrogen is going to be used for cooking food, fuel cell and transportation soon.

Hydroelectric cell is a low-cost device. Pure hydrogen gas production by a simple, cost effect and safe hydroelectric cell technology will be highly profitable deed in the current scenario. The pragmatic and actionable recommendations to governments and industry will make it possible to take full advantage of this increasing momentum. High purity hydrogen gas production in industrial scale by this technology will reduce the burden of CO₂ emission causing global warming.