An overview of pure hydrogen production via electrolysis and hydrolysis

• Published in: International Journal of Hydrogen Energy
• Main Author: Chang S.H.; Rajuli M.F.
• Format: Review
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier Ltd 2024
• Online Access: https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-85201786311&doi=10.1016%2fj.ijhydene.2024.08.245&partnerID=40&md5=e3264a7cb1a17497ff18281ba8e5c10f

Hydrogen is hailed as a game-changer in global energy systems, offering a sustainable remedy to climate change through its zero waste attributes, beneficial for both power generation and transportation. However, conventional thermochemical methods for hydrogen production, such as steam methane reforming and coal gasification, result in low-quality impure hydrogen, necessitating costly purification processes. Therefore, expediting the advancement of pure hydrogen production methods with minimal to no purification requirements is essential to bolster economic viability and foster widespread adoption across industries. Among these methods, electrolysis and hydrolysis have garnered significant attention in research over the past two decades. However, there is a lack of literature review discussing both electrolysis and hydrolysis for pure hydrogen production within a single article. Hence, this review seeks to fill this gap by providing an overview of pure hydrogen production through electrolysis and hydrolysis. It commences with the classification of different pure hydrogen production methods, followed by a discussion on water electrolysis and other variants of electrolysis, as well as hydrolysis involving light metal-based composites, alloys, and lightweight hydrides. A comparison between electrolysis and hydrolysis for pure hydrogen production is also outlined and discussed, along with an outlook on their future prospects. © 2024 Hydrogen Energy Publications LLC