METHODS FOR HYDROGEN GAS PRODUCTION

摘要

According to aspects described herein, methods and systems provided by the present invention for hydrogen gas production include a RED stack including one or more RED subunits, and use of a saline material including a heat regenerable salt. The salinity driven energy, provided by the one or more RED subunits, completely eliminates the need for an external power source to produce hydrogen gas.

主权项

1. A process for generating a hydrogen gas, comprising:
introducing, in a system comprising: a reaction chamber having a wall defining an interior of the reaction chamber and an exterior of the reaction chamber, an anode at least partially contained within an anode compartment of the reaction chamber, a cathode at least partially contained within a cathode compartment of the reaction chamber, a conductive conduit for electrons in electrical communication with the anode and the cathode, a plurality of alternating anion-selective barriers and cation-selective barriers disposed between the anode and the cathode and defining alternating saline material compartments and lower-saline material compartments, a first flow path for a saline material through the saline material compartments and a second flow path for a lower-saline material through the lower-saline material compartments, wherein the saline material and the lower-saline material are adjacent and separated by the anion selective barriers and the cation selective barriers, a saline material having a concentration of dissolved salts into the saline material compartments; and introducing a lower-saline material having a concentration of dissolved salts which is lower than the saline material into the lower-saline material compartments, wherein an electromotive force established by a difference in the concentration of dissolved salts in the saline material compared to the lower-saline material, drives ions across the plurality of alternating anion-selective barriers and cation-selective barriers disposed between the anode and the cathode, thereby increasing the potential between the anode and cathode, decreasing the concentration of dissolved salts in the saline material to generate a saline material effluent, and increasing the concentration of dissolved salts in the lower-saline material to generate a lower-saline material effluent; heating the lower-saline material effluent to volatilize and remove a dissolved heat regenerable salt, thereby producing a regenerated lower-saline material, or heating the lower-saline material effluent to volatilize and remove water by membrane distillation, thereby producing a regenerated saline material, respectively; and introducing the regenerated lower-saline material into the lower-saline material compartments or introducing the regenerated saline material into the saline material compartments.