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Towards the Hydrogen Economy—A Review of the Parameters That Influence the Efficiency of Alkaline Water Electrolyzers

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  • Ana L. Santos

    (TecnoVeritas—Serviços de Engenharia e Sistemas Tecnológicos, Lda, 2640-486 Mafra, Portugal
    Center of Physics and Engineering of Advanced Materials (CeFEMA), Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade de Lisboa, 1049-001 Lisbon, Portugal)

  • Maria-João Cebola

    (CBIOS—Center for Research in Biosciences & Health Technologies, Universidade Lusófona de Humanidades e Tecnologias, Campo Grande 376, 1749-024 Lisbon, Portugal
    CERENA—Centre for Natural Resources and the Environment, Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade de Lisboa, Av. Rovisco Pais, 1049-001 Lisbon, Portugal
    Escola Superior Náutica Infante D. Henrique, 2770-058 Paço de Arcos, Portugal)

  • Diogo M. F. Santos

    (Center of Physics and Engineering of Advanced Materials (CeFEMA), Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade de Lisboa, 1049-001 Lisbon, Portugal)

Abstract

Environmental issues make the quest for better and cleaner energy sources a priority. Worldwide, researchers and companies are continuously working on this matter, taking one of two approaches: either finding new energy sources or improving the efficiency of existing ones. Hydrogen is a well-known energy carrier due to its high energy content, but a somewhat elusive one for being a gas with low molecular weight. This review examines the current electrolysis processes for obtaining hydrogen, with an emphasis on alkaline water electrolysis. This process is far from being new, but research shows that there is still plenty of room for improvement. The efficiency of an electrolyzer mainly relates to the overpotential and resistances in the cell. This work shows that the path to better electrolyzer efficiency is through the optimization of the cell components and operating conditions. Following a brief introduction to the thermodynamics and kinetics of water electrolysis, the most recent developments on several parameters (e.g., electrocatalysts, electrolyte composition, separator, interelectrode distance) are highlighted.

Suggested Citation

  • Ana L. Santos & Maria-João Cebola & Diogo M. F. Santos, 2021. "Towards the Hydrogen Economy—A Review of the Parameters That Influence the Efficiency of Alkaline Water Electrolyzers," Energies, MDPI, vol. 14(11), pages 1-35, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jeners:v:14:y:2021:i:11:p:3193-:d:565323
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Vincent, Immanuel & Bessarabov, Dmitri, 2018. "Low cost hydrogen production by anion exchange membrane electrolysis: A review," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 81(P2), pages 1690-1704.
    2. Wang, Mingyong & Wang, Zhi & Gong, Xuzhong & Guo, Zhancheng, 2014. "The intensification technologies to water electrolysis for hydrogen production – A review," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 29(C), pages 573-588.
    3. Yan Li & Xinfa Wei & Lisong Chen & Jianlin Shi & Mingyuan He, 2019. "Nickel-molybdenum nitride nanoplate electrocatalysts for concurrent electrolytic hydrogen and formate productions," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 10(1), pages 1-12, December.
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    Cited by:

    1. Cristina Hora & Florin Ciprian Dan & Nicolae Rancov & Gabriela Elena Badea & Calin Secui, 2022. "Main Trends and Research Directions in Hydrogen Generation Using Low Temperature Electrolysis: A Systematic Literature Review," Energies, MDPI, vol. 15(16), pages 1-21, August.
    2. Sebastián Mantilla & Diogo M. F. Santos, 2022. "Green and Blue Hydrogen Production: An Overview in Colombia," Energies, MDPI, vol. 15(23), pages 1-21, November.
    3. Jarosław Gryz & Krzysztof Król & Anna Witkowska & Mariusz Ruszel, 2021. "Mobile Nuclear-Hydrogen Synergy in NATO Operations," Energies, MDPI, vol. 14(23), pages 1-12, November.
    4. Ana L. Santos & Maria João Cebola & Jorge Antunes & Diogo M. F. Santos, 2023. "Insights on the Performance of Nickel Foam and Stainless Steel Foam Electrodes for Alkaline Water Electrolysis," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(14), pages 1-15, July.
    5. Nicolai Lystbæk & Mikkel Gregersen & Hamid Reza Shaker, 2023. "Review of Energy Portfolio Optimization in Energy Markets Considering Flexibility of Power-to-X," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(5), pages 1-17, March.
    6. Frank Gambou & Damien Guilbert & Michel Zasadzinski & Hugues Rafaralahy, 2022. "A Comprehensive Survey of Alkaline Electrolyzer Modeling: Electrical Domain and Specific Electrolyte Conductivity," Energies, MDPI, vol. 15(9), pages 1-20, May.

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