Electrolysis of LiOH for hydrogen supply

The hydrolysis of lithium hydride (LiH) is a promising technique for the supply of hydrogen. LiH can be stored in sealed tanks or cartridges of similar to 6% mass effective hydrogen capacity. However, the lack of an efficient recycling method for the byproduct lithium hydroxide (LiOH) has been a limitation to its use. Here, we propose and demonstrate a recycling process based on the hot melt electrolysis of a LiOH-LiCl eutectic mixture at 380 degrees C. The electrolysis activation potential was measured at 3.08 V. Lithium production was observed around the cathode using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and cyclic voltametry. Current efficiency was estimated 37.9%, and the absence of LiCl decomposition was confirmed. (C) 2009 Professor T. Nejat Veziroglu. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.