City University of Hong Kong scientists recently outlined an innovative technique for integrating solar-powered water electrolysis into various chemical manufacturing industries. An article published in Nature Reviews Clean Technology detailed their findings.
Electrolysis is the process of using an electrical current to split chemical compounds into the elements they're made of. It's usually an expensive and environmentally unsustainable thing to do, especially when the electricity comes from burning fossil fuels.
Harnessing solar power, a natural energy source, to electrolyze water allows scientists to generate hydrogen without electrical carbon pollution.
Additionally, according to Tech Xplore, the chemical industry relies heavily on fossil fuels — both for generating electricity to power processes such as electrolysis and as feedstocks for the chemicals themselves.
The result is a massive outflow of planet-warming greenhouse gases at every stage of the chemical synthesis process.
Switching from fuel-based electricity to solar energy will lower costs. Solar energy's renewable quality can also help reduce the chemical manufacturing industry's planet-warming pollution it releases.
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According to the Nature Reviews Clean Technology article, applying solar-driven electrolysis to chemical manufacturing doesn't make the process less energy-intensive. But it does allow the product of electrolysis — hydrogen — to be a more profitable output.
Rather than hydrogen itself being the end result, the goal is to funnel hydrogen into chemical compounds with applications in bioplastics, pharmaceuticals, and other specialty industries.
"This isn't just about making cleaner hydrogen, but making profitable hydrogen, since when solar electrolysis is turned into a chemical reactor, the whole system can pay for itself," explained CityUHK Professor Fatwa F. Abdi in the Tech Xplore piece.
Though upscaling can be more difficult, scientists anticipate that this solar electrolysis technique may be implemented at both small and large scales.
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The cost 💰 For pricey specialty goods like pharmaceuticals and fine chemicals, the solar units required are likely smaller and more specialized.
When it comes to the widespread chemical manufacturing, however, larger solar farms may be necessary to meet high demand.
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