IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jeners/v16y2023i18p6440-d1233945.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Suitability and Energy Sustainability of Atmospheric Water Generation Technology for Green Hydrogen Production

Author

Listed:
  • Lucia Cattani

    (SEAS SA, Société de l’Eau Aérienne Suisse, Technical Office, Via dell’Industria 13/A, 6826 Riva San Vitale, Switzerland)

  • Paolo Cattani

    (Independent Researcher, Via Piermarini 4/L, 26900 Lodi, Italy)

  • Anna Magrini

    (Department of Civil Engineering and Architecture, University of Pavia, 27100 Pavia, Italy)

  • Roberto Figoni

    (Department of Civil Engineering and Architecture, University of Pavia, 27100 Pavia, Italy)

  • Daniele Dondi

    (Department of Chemistry, Section of General Chemistry, University of Pavia, Viale Taramelli 12, 27100 Pavia, Italy)

  • Dhanalakshmi Vadivel

    (Department of Chemistry, Section of General Chemistry, University of Pavia, Viale Taramelli 12, 27100 Pavia, Italy)

Abstract

This research investigated the suitability of air-to-water generator (AWG) technology to address one of the main concerns in green hydrogen production, namely water supply. This study specifically addresses water quality and energy sustainability issues, which are crucial research questions when AWG technology is intended for electrolysis. To this scope, a reasoned summary of the main findings related to atmospheric water quality has been provided. Moreover, several experimental chemical analyses specifically focused on meeting electrolysis process requirements, on water produced using a real integrated AWG system equipped with certified materials for food contact, were discussed. To assess the energy sustainability of AWGs in green hydrogen production, a case study was presented regarding an electrolyzer plant intended to serve as energy storage for a 2 MW photovoltaic field on Iriomote Island. The integrated AWG, used for the water quality analyses, was studied in order to determine its performance in the specific island climate conditions. The production exceeded the needs of the electrolyzer; thus, the overproduction was considered for the panels cleaning due to the high purity of the water. Due to such an operation, the efficiency recovery was more than enough to cover the AWG energy consumption. This paper, on the basis of the quantity results, provides the first answers to the said research questions concerning water quality and energy consumption, establishing the potential of AWG as a viable solution for addressing water scarcity, and enhancing the sustainability of electrolysis processes in green hydrogen production.

Suggested Citation

  • Lucia Cattani & Paolo Cattani & Anna Magrini & Roberto Figoni & Daniele Dondi & Dhanalakshmi Vadivel, 2023. "Suitability and Energy Sustainability of Atmospheric Water Generation Technology for Green Hydrogen Production," Energies, MDPI, vol. 16(18), pages 1-20, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jeners:v:16:y:2023:i:18:p:6440-:d:1233945
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/16/18/6440/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/16/18/6440/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Mengbo Zhang & Ranbin Liu & Yaxuan Li, 2022. "Diversifying Water Sources with Atmospheric Water Harvesting to Enhance Water Supply Resilience," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(13), pages 1-17, June.
    2. Shi, Xunpeng & Liao, Xun & Li, Yanfei, 2020. "Quantification of fresh water consumption and scarcity footprints of hydrogen from water electrolysis: A methodology framework," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 154(C), pages 786-796.
    3. Lucia Cattani & Paolo Cattani & Anna Magrini, 2021. "Photovoltaic Cleaning Optimization: A Simplified Theoretical Approach for Air to Water Generator (AWG) System Employment," Energies, MDPI, vol. 14(14), pages 1-17, July.
    4. Schill, Wolf-Peter, 2020. "Electricity Storage and the Renewable Energy Transition," EconStor Open Access Articles and Book Chapters, ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics, vol. 4(10), pages 2059-2064.
    5. Diego Bairrão & João Soares & José Almeida & John F. Franco & Zita Vale, 2023. "Green Hydrogen and Energy Transition: Current State and Prospects in Portugal," Energies, MDPI, vol. 16(1), pages 1-23, January.
    6. Lucia Cattani & Anna Magrini & Valentina Leoni, 2022. "Energy Performance of Water Generators from Gaseous Mixtures by Condensation: Climatic Datasets Choice," Energies, MDPI, vol. 15(20), pages 1-24, October.
    7. Mohammed Sanjid Thavalengal & Muhammad Ahmad Jamil & Muhammad Mehroz & Ben Bin Xu & Haseeb Yaqoob & Muhammad Sultan & Nida Imtiaz & Muhammad Wakil Shahzad, 2023. "Progress and Prospects of Air Water Harvesting System for Remote Areas: A Comprehensive Review," Energies, MDPI, vol. 16(6), pages 1-27, March.
    8. Lucia Cattani & Anna Magrini & Paolo Cattani, 2021. "Water Extraction from Air: A Proposal for a New Indicator to Compare Air Water Generators Efficiency," Energies, MDPI, vol. 14(1), pages 1-21, January.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Lucia Cattani & Anna Magrini & Valentina Leoni, 2022. "Energy Performance of Water Generators from Gaseous Mixtures by Condensation: Climatic Datasets Choice," Energies, MDPI, vol. 15(20), pages 1-24, October.
    2. Ghosh, Sourav & Yadav, Sarita & Devi, Ambika & Thomas, Tiju, 2022. "Techno-economic understanding of Indian energy-storage market: A perspective on green materials-based supercapacitor technologies," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 161(C).
    3. Schauf, Magnus & Schwenen, Sebastian, 2023. "System price dynamics for battery storage," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 183(C).
    4. Jacques, Pierre & Delannoy, Louis & Andrieu, Baptiste & Yilmaz, Devrim & Jeanmart, Hervé & Godin, Antoine, 2023. "Assessing the economic consequences of an energy transition through a biophysical stock-flow consistent model," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 209(C).
    5. Adeline Gu'eret & Wolf-Peter Schill & Carlos Gaete-Morales, 2024. "Not flexible enough? Impacts of electric carsharing on a power sector with variable renewables," Papers 2402.19380, arXiv.org.
    6. Lucia Cattani & Paolo Cattani & Anna Magrini, 2021. "Photovoltaic Cleaning Optimization: A Simplified Theoretical Approach for Air to Water Generator (AWG) System Employment," Energies, MDPI, vol. 14(14), pages 1-17, July.
    7. Diana Joița & Mirela Panait & Carmen-Elena Dobrotă & Alin Diniță & Adrian Neacșa & Laura Elly Naghi, 2023. "The European Dilemma—Energy Security or Green Transition," Energies, MDPI, vol. 16(9), pages 1-16, April.
    8. van Ouwerkerk, Jonas & Gils, Hans Christian & Gardian, Hedda & Kittel, Martin & Schill, Wolf-Peter & Zerrahn, Alexander & Murmann, Alexander & Launer, Jann & Torralba-Díaz, Laura & Bußar, Christian, 2022. "Impacts of power sector model features on optimal capacity expansion: A comparative study," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 157(C).
    9. Dogan, Eyup & Chishti, Muhammad Zubair & Karimi Alavijeh, Nooshin & Tzeremes, Panayiotis, 2022. "The roles of technology and Kyoto Protocol in energy transition towards COP26 targets: Evidence from the novel GMM-PVAR approach for G-7 countries," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 181(C).
    10. Franz Harke & Philipp Otto, 2023. "Solar Self-Sufficient Households as a Driving Factor for Sustainability Transformation," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(3), pages 1-20, February.
    11. Marco G. Pinheiro & Sara C. Madeira & Alexandre P. Francisco, 2022. "Shapelets to Classify Energy Demand Time Series," Energies, MDPI, vol. 15(8), pages 1-17, April.
    12. Stöckl, Fabian & Schill, Wolf-Peter & Zerrahn, Alexander, 2021. "Optimal supply chains and power sector benefits of green hydrogen," EconStor Open Access Articles and Book Chapters, ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics, vol. 11.
    13. Baena-Moreno, Francisco M. & Gonzalez-Castaño, Miriam & Arellano-García, Harvey & Reina, T.R., 2021. "Exploring profitability of bioeconomy paths: Dimethyl ether from biogas as case study," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 225(C).
    14. Elkadeem, Mohamed R. & Younes, Ali & Mazzeo, Domenico & Jurasz, Jakub & Elia Campana, Pietro & Sharshir, Swellam W. & Alaam, Mohamed A., 2022. "Geospatial-assisted multi-criterion analysis of solar and wind power geographical-technical-economic potential assessment," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 322(C).
    15. Jun Zhao & Xiaonan Wang & Jinsheng Chu, 2022. "The Strategies for Increasing Grid-Integrated Share of Renewable Energy with Energy Storage and Existing Coal Fired Power Generation in China," Energies, MDPI, vol. 15(13), pages 1-18, June.
    16. Göke, Leonard & Weibezahn, Jens & Kendziorski, Mario, 2023. "How flexible electrification can integrate fluctuating renewables," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 278(PA).
    17. Thomas Adisorn & Maike Venjakob & Julia Pössinger & Sibel Raquel Ersoy & Oliver Wagner & Raphael Moser, 2023. "Implications of the Interrelations between the (Waste)Water Sector and Hydrogen Production for Arid Countries Using the Example of Jordan," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(6), pages 1-18, March.
    18. Sun, Chenghao, 2023. "How are green finance, carbon emissions, and energy resources related in Asian sub-regions?," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 83(C).
    19. Fengyuan Yan & Jinliang Geng & Guangxin Rong & Heng Sun & Lei Zhang & Jinxu Li, 2023. "Optimization and Analysis of an Integrated Liquefaction Process for Hydrogen and Natural Gas Utilizing Mixed Refrigerant Pre-Cooling," Energies, MDPI, vol. 16(10), pages 1-18, May.
    20. Jesús Rey & Francisca Segura & José Manuel Andújar, 2023. "Green Hydrogen: Resources Consumption, Technological Maturity, and Regulatory Framework," Energies, MDPI, vol. 16(17), pages 1-29, August.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jeners:v:16:y:2023:i:18:p:6440-:d:1233945. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.