Eight organizations have joined hands to obtain clean hydrogen using seawater.

The Korea Institute of Materials Science (KIMS, President Lee Jeong-hwan), a government-funded research institute under the Ministry of Science and ICT, signed a "Multilateral Agreement for the Joint Development of Core Technologies for Seawater Electrolysis Systems" on the 22nd at the seminar room of Research Building 1 of the KIMS in Changwon, Gyeongsangnam-do.

The institutions participating in this agreement are the Korea Institute of Materials Science, Hyundai Heavy Industries, Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering, Hyundai Oilbank, Seoul National University, Pusan National University, Techwin, and Heesung Catalyst, totaling eight institutions.

In 2021, the Korea Institute of Materials Science developed the nation's first "anion exchange membrane seawater electrolysis technology," which utilizes seawater, the most abundant water resource on Earth, to directly produce green hydrogen and drastically reduce hydrogen production costs.

'Anion exchange membrane water electrolysis' is a technology that produces high-purity hydrogen using inexpensive non-precious metal catalysts, but because it requires the use of purified water (ultrapure water), it has acted as a cause that not only increases the cost of hydrogen production but also hinders the expansion of water electrolysis.

The research team suppresses the chlorine generation reaction by controlling the pH (hydrogen ion concentration index of a solution) of seawater, and This problem was solved by reducing the overpotential through the developed high-activity catalyst and thereby enabling the oxygen evolution reaction to be driven, which allows the use of non-precious metal catalyst materials.

Based on this agreement, participating institutions will be able to jointly identify and carry out future research and technology development projects, develop workforce training programs, and actively propose necessary educational courses.

In addition, each institution pledged to work together by mutually exchanging materials and information necessary for industry-academia collaboration and holding regular technology exchange meetings.

The '2nd Exchange Meeting of the Joint Development Technology Council for Seawater Electrolysis Systems' was also held during the event. Key representatives from each institution attended to introduce the current status of their respective research.

Kim Dong-ho, Head of the Nano Surface Materials Research Division at the Korea Institute of Materials Science, stated, “The day is not far off when we can produce high-purity hydrogen at a low cost using seawater,” adding, “I look forward to the realization of a scenario where green hydrogen produced in conjunction with offshore renewable energy (such as offshore wind power) can be directly charged and used in hydrogen-powered ships.”