Electrolyser conjures hydrogen from thin air for green energy
Device can capture water to split even in regions as dry as the Sahel
A prototype electrolyser has harvested humidity from the air, split the water and collected hydrogen for green energy. The device was powered by solar energy and can operate in dry air with just 4% humidity.
‘This is the first electrolyser that can produce high purity hydrogen directly from air,’ says Gang Kevin Li, a chemical engineer at the University of Melbourne, Australia. A prototype worked for 12 days straight, with a Faradic efficiency of 95%, with five parallel electrolysers. It did not require any liquid water.