Australian researchers use salt water to produce green hydrogen at a cheaper cost

Can salt water be used in green hydrogen production? Researchers from Australia’s University of Adelaide have unveiled a method to use untreated salt water as a feedstock in electrolyzers used to generate green hydrogen, according to research published in Nature Energy.

Bringing down costs and saving fresh water: Researchers split sea water into hydrogen and oxygen through electrolysis with almost a 100% efficiency rate similar to the widely used electrolysis method of using fresh water and treated industrial wastewater to break water molecules apart to produce the green fuel, the study says. The process — which bypasses costly water treatment procedures that hike the operational costs of hydrogen generation — will boost water conservation globally by minimizing the use of fresh water sources for green hydrogen production, researchers note.