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Methanol Electrolysis for Hydrogen Production Using Polymer Electrolyte Membrane: A Mini-Review

Author

Listed:
  • Sethu Sundar Pethaiah

    (Gashubin Engineering Pte Ltd., 8 New Industrial Road, Singapore 536200, Singapore)

  • Kishor Kumar Sadasivuni

    (Center for Advanced Materials, Qatar University, P.O. Box 2713, Doha 2713, Qatar)

  • Arunkumar Jayakumar

    (SRM Institute of Science and Technology, SRM Nagar, Kattankulathur 603203, India)

  • Deepalekshmi Ponnamma

    (Center for Advanced Materials, Qatar University, P.O. Box 2713, Doha 2713, Qatar)

  • Chandra Sekhar Tiwary

    (Materials Science and Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology, Gandhinagar, Gujarat 38235, India)

  • Gangadharan Sasikumar

    (Sustainable Solutionz, Chennai 600017, India)

Abstract

Hydrogen (H 2 ) has attained significant benefits as an energy carrier due to its gross calorific value (GCV) and inherently clean operation. Thus, hydrogen as a fuel can lead to global sustainability. Conventional H 2 production is predominantly through fossil fuels, and electrolysis is now identified to be most promising for H 2 generation. This review describes the recent state of the art and challenges on ultra-pure H 2 production through methanol electrolysis that incorporate polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM). It also discusses about the methanol electrochemical reforming catalysts as well as the impact of this process via PEM. The efficiency of H 2 production depends on the different components of the PEM fuel cells, which are bipolar plates, current collector, and membrane electrode assembly. The efficiency also changes with the nature and type of the fuel, fuel/oxygen ratio, pressure, temperature, humidity, cell potential, and interfacial electronic level interaction between the redox levels of electrolyte and band gap edges of the semiconductor membranes. Diverse operating conditions such as concentration of methanol, cell temperature, catalyst loading, membrane thickness, and cell voltage that affect the performance are critically addressed. Comparison of various methanol electrolyzer systems are performed to validate the significance of methanol economy to match the future sustainable energy demands.

Suggested Citation

  • Sethu Sundar Pethaiah & Kishor Kumar Sadasivuni & Arunkumar Jayakumar & Deepalekshmi Ponnamma & Chandra Sekhar Tiwary & Gangadharan Sasikumar, 2020. "Methanol Electrolysis for Hydrogen Production Using Polymer Electrolyte Membrane: A Mini-Review," Energies, MDPI, vol. 13(22), pages 1-17, November.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jeners:v:13:y:2020:i:22:p:5879-:d:443070
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    3. Minsoo Choi & Wongwan Jung & Sanghyuk Lee & Taehwan Joung & Daejun Chang, 2021. "Thermal Efficiency and Economics of a Boil-Off Hydrogen Re-Liquefaction System Considering the Energy Efficiency Design Index for Liquid Hydrogen Carriers," Energies, MDPI, vol. 14(15), pages 1-23, July.
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