Electrochemical pumps based on ion-pair membranes for separation of hydrogen from low-concentration mixtures

Manjeet Chhetri, Daniel Philip Leonard, Sandip Maurya, Prashant Sharan, Youngkwang Kim, Alisa Kozhushner, Lior Elbaz, Nasser Ghorbani, Mehdi Rafiee, Cortney Kreller and Yu Seung Kim ()
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Manjeet Chhetri: Los Alamos National Laboratory
Daniel Philip Leonard: Los Alamos National Laboratory
Sandip Maurya: Los Alamos National Laboratory
Prashant Sharan: Los Alamos National Laboratory
Youngkwang Kim: Los Alamos National Laboratory
Alisa Kozhushner: Bar-Ilan University
Lior Elbaz: Bar-Ilan University
Nasser Ghorbani: Gemini Energy
Mehdi Rafiee: Gemini Energy
Cortney Kreller: Los Alamos National Laboratory
Yu Seung Kim: Los Alamos National Laboratory

Nature Energy, 2024, vol. 9, issue 12, 1517-1528

Abstract: Abstract Producing pure, compressed hydrogen from gas mixtures is a crucial, but expensive, aspect of hydrogen distribution. Electrochemical hydrogen pumps offer a promising energy-efficient solution, but struggle with gas mixtures containing less than 20% hydrogen. Here we show that electrochemical hydrogen pumps equipped with phosphate-coordinated quaternary ammonium ion-pair polymer membranes can overcome this challenge. By using a protonated phosphonic acid ionomer and selective cathode humidification, mass transport of the device is enhanced, boosting hydrogen production from low-concentration hydrogen gas mixtures. A tandem ion-pair electrochemical hydrogen pump system achieves high-purity hydrogen (>99.999%) from a 10% hydrogen–methane mixture with nearly 100% faradaic efficiency and hydrogen recovery. A techno-economic analysis reveals that electrochemical hydrogen pumps can reduce hydrogen delivery costs by up to 95% and energy consumption by up to 65% by allowing the use of existing natural gas pipelines, compared to traditional pressure swing adsorption and mechanical compression techniques.

Date: 2024
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DOI: 10.1038/s41560-024-01669-6

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