Hydrogen for Maritime Application-Quality of Hydrogen Generated Onboard Ship by Electrolysis of Purified Seawater

Maritime transport is investigating several options to reduce its greenhouse gases and air pollutant emissions. An experimental ship, Energy Observer, is using excess renewable energy to generate onboard hydrogen by electrolysis of purified seawater. As a promising option for storing energy, it can provide on-demand energy to the ship through a hydrogen fuel cell (FC). As hydrogen FCs lifetime and performance are correlated to hydrogen quality, the hydrogen produced onboard needs to be monitored. This study assesses the probability of contaminants presence for this electrolyser, using purified seawater and supports the results with a hydrogen fuel quality analysis from the Energy Observer ship. It demonstrates that an electrolyser using onboard purified seawater can generate hydrogen of a quality compliant with ISO 14687:2019. Additional contaminants (i.e., ions, heavy metal) were also measured. The study highlights the potential contaminants to be monitored and future research on new contaminants from seawater to further develop hydrogen fuel for maritime applications.

Automated summary

Maritime transport is investigating options to reduce greenhouse gases and air pollutants, with using onboard hydrogen fuel cells as a promising choice. The study evaluates the potential of producing hydrogen from electrolyzing purified seawater, confirming its compliance with ISO standards and highlighting the need for further research on new contaminants in seawater.