Scientists Hail New ‘Industrially Viable Technology’ that Can Squeeze Hydrogen From Seawater

May 19, 2025

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(Fuel Cells Works) Scientists say they have developed a new technology capable of extracting clean hydrogen fuel directly from seawater.

SHARJAH, EMIRATE OF SHARJAH, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES -- Researchers from the University of Sharjah claim to have developed a novel technology capable of producing clean hydrogen fuel directly from seawater, and at an industrial scale.

In a study published in the journal Small, the researchers report that they extracted hydrogen without the need to remove the mineral salts dissolved in seawater or add any chemicals. (Original Source URL: https://doi.org/10.1002/smll.202501376)

According to the authors, the technology enables hydrogen extraction from seawater without relying on desalination plants, which require massive investments totaling hundreds of millions of dollars.

“We developed a novel, multi-layered electrode that can extract hydrogen directly from seawater efficiently and sustainably. Traditional methods face a host of problems, mainly corrosion and performance degradation caused by chloride ions in seawater,” said Dr. Tanveer Ul Haq, Assistant Professor in the Department of Chemistry, College of Sciences, University of Sharjah, and the study’s lead author.

The authors designed a specially engineered electrode which, in the words of Dr. Ul Haq, “overcomes these issues by creating a protective and reactive microenvironment that boosts performance while resisting damage.”

In a world where clean energy is no longer a luxury but a necessity, hydrogen stands out as one of the most promising solutions. Until now, scientists have primarily relied on pure water—a precious resource in many regions—to produce hydrogen.

This study addresses that challenge by introducing a new technology capable of generating hydrogen directly from seawater.

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The electrode, the study notes, produces hydrogen at industrially relevant rates using untreated seawater. Nearly all the electrical input was converted into gas output, achieving a Faradaic efficiency of 98%.

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Faradaic efficiency measures the effectiveness with which electrons participate in a given electrochemical reaction.

“We created an advanced electrode that works in real seawater without needing any pre-treatment or desalination,” said the study’s corresponding author, Yousef Haik, Professor of Mechanical and Nuclear Engineering at the University of Sharjah.

“Our system generates hydrogen at industrially relevant rates—1 ampere per square centimeter—with low energy input. This could revolutionize how we think about hydrogen production in coastal regions, especially in arid countries like the UAE, where freshwater is limited but sunlight and seawater are abundant.”

The technology’s strength lies in the electrode’s advanced, multilayered structure, which not only withstands harsh seawater conditions but thrives in them.

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The researchers are now looking forward to large-scale deployment of their technology. “We’re now moving from lab-scale to pilot-scale testing, looking to validate the technology under real-world outdoor conditions,” Dr. Ul Haq said. “Our next goal is to develop a modular hydrogen generator powered by solar energy, tailored for use in arid, coastal regions.” READ MORE

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Excerpt from Johns Hopkins: Researchers in Johns Hopkins University’s Department of Environmental Health and Engineering, in collaboration with Penn State University, have found a way to use seawater as a direct source of hydrogen, with no need for preliminary desalination. Their results appear in Environmental Science & Technology.

“We found that we can use thin-film composite membranes, which are used to purify salt water, in water electrolyzers, splitting the water into hydrogen gas and oxygen, while avoiding producing harmful chlorine gas, which happens with other membrane types,” said Ruggero Rossi, assistant professor of Environmental Engineering and co-author on the paper.

In their study, Rossi and colleagues tested thin-film composite membranes directly in the electrolyzer—a device that uses electricity to split water into hydrogen and oxygen—accomplishing in a single step both water purification and hydrogen production. They found that the material’s porous microstructure allowed only small protons and hydroxide ions to migrate across the membrane, rejecting impurities and other ions that can produce undesirable reactions. The researchers say that this novel approach could replace conventional systems, where expensive ion-exchange membranes are used in combination with ultrapure water feeds.

“Cheap water desalination membranes can be an alternative to more expensive polymer-based membranes and can be used for hydrogen production from low-grade water sources like seawater,” said Rossi. “The result is an efficient hydrogen production process from renewable energy sources that eliminates the need for water purification.” READ MORE

Excerpt from RMIT University/Science Daily: Almost all the world's hydrogen currently comes from fossil fuels and its production is responsible for around 830 million tonnes of carbon dioxide a year*, equivalent to the annual emissions of the United Kingdom and Indonesia combined.

But emissions-free 'green' hydrogen, made by splitting water, is so expensive that it is largely commercially unviable and accounts for just 1% of total hydrogen production globally.

Lead researcher Dr Nasir Mahmood, a Vice-Chancellor's Senior Research Fellow at RMIT, said green hydrogen production processes were both costly and relied on fresh or desalinated water.

"We know hydrogen has immense potential as a clean energy source, particularly for the many industries that can't easily switch over to be powered by renewables," Mahmood said.

"But to be truly sustainable, the hydrogen we use must be 100% carbon-free across the entire production life cycle and must not cut into the world's precious freshwater reserves.

"Our method to produce hydrogen straight from seawater is simple, scaleable and far more cost-effective than any green hydrogen approach currently in the market.

"With further development, we hope this could advance the establishment of a thriving green hydrogen industry in Australia."

A provisional patent application has been filed for the new method, detailed in a lab-scale study published in Wiley journal, Small.

Splitting the difference: a catalyst for seawater

To make green hydrogen, an electrolyser is used to send an electric current through water to split it into its component elements of hydrogen and oxygen.

These electrolysers currently use expensive catalysts and consume a lot of energy and water -- it can take about nine litres to make one kilogram of hydrogen. They also have a toxic output: not carbon dioxide, but chlorine.

"The biggest hurdle with using seawater is the chlorine, which can be produced as a by-product. If we were to meet the world's hydrogen needs without solving this issue first, we'd produce 240 million tons per year of chlorine each year -- which is three to four times what the world needs in chlorine. There's no point replacing hydrogen made by fossil fuels with hydrogen production that could be damaging our environment in a different way," Mahmood said.

"Our process not only omits carbon dioxide, but also has no chlorine production."

The new approach devised by a team in the multidisciplinary Materials for Clean Energy and Environment (MC2E) research group at RMIT uses a special type of catalyst developed to work specifically with seawater.

The study, with PhD candidate Suraj Loomba, focused on producing highly efficient, stable catalysts that can be manufactured cost-effectively.

"These new catalysts take very little energy to run and could be used at room temperature," Mahmood said.

"While other experimental catalysts have been developed for seawater splitting, they are complex and hard to scale.

"Our approach focused on changing the internal chemistry of the catalysts through a simple method, which makes them relatively easy to produce at large-scale so they can be readily synthesised at industrial scales," Loomba said.

Mahmood said the technology had promise to significantly bring down the cost of electrolysers -- enough to meet the Australian Government's goal for green hydrogen production of $2/kilogram, to make it competitive with fossil fuel-sourced hydrogen.

The researchers at RMIT are working with industry partners to develop aspects of this technology.

The next stage in the research is the development of a prototype electrolyser that combines a series of catalysts to produce large quantities of hydrogen. READ MORE