By Jun Sato / Yomiuri Shimbun Senior Writer
Kawasaki Heavy Industries Ltd. has announced the successful development of new electrodes for water electrolysis devices in collaboration with Hokkaido University, built to improve hydrogen production efficiency. The company claims that the new electrodes reduce power consumption by around 10% compared to existing devices of the same type.
The development and practical application of technologies for electrolysis devices, including this equipment, is moving toward decarbonization. By using renewable energy, it is possible to manufacture "green hydrogen" that does not emit carbon dioxide.
The electrodes are developed to be used for a type of electrolysis device called "anion exchange membrane" $(AEM)$, the June 2 announcement stated. The technology is expected to be low-cost, using fewer expensive precious metals compared to mainstream "alkaline-type" (alkaline water electrolysis) and "PEM-type" (polymer electrolyte membrane) electrolysis devices.
Kawasaki Heavy Industries combined its expertise in water electrolysis devices with Hokkaido University's surface treatment technology to enhance electrolysis efficiency. The anode uses electrodes developed by Hokkaido University, while the cathode employs platinum catalyst electrodes.
Electrolysis tests confirmed that around 10% less electricity is required to produce a given quantity of hydrogen than that of commercial AEM-type water electrolysis devices. This represents world-leading energy efficiency for AEM devices, according to the announcement.
The number of commercially available AEM water electrolysis devices is still limited, and verifying their durability remains a future challenge.
"We will continue our joint research to improve durability and scaling up, while also advancing development with the ultimate goal of eliminating the use of precious metals in the entire electrolysis cell," Kawasaki Heavy Industries commented.
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This article is from The Yomiuri Shimbun. Neither Dow Jones Newswires, MarketWatch, Barron's nor The Wall Street Journal were involved in the creation of this content.
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June 12, 2025 05:51 ET (09:51 GMT)
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