‭Memorandum‬

‭ o: Dr. Naqaa Abbas, Dr. Shatha Al-Shammari‬

T
‭From Team‬‭4‬‭<‬‭Lujane Ahmed, Maria Al-Rabbat, Noor‬‭Al-Thani, Samia Afrin, Shahd Darwish‬‭>‬
‭Subject: Solutions to Inefficiencies in Hydrogen Production‬
‭Date: November 11, 2023‬

‭ reen‬ ‭hydrogen‬ ‭is‬ ‭a‬ ‭key‬ ‭component‬ ‭in‬ ‭the‬ ‭shift‬ ‭towards‬ ‭sustainable‬ ‭energy.‬ ‭Nevertheless,‬ ‭its‬
G
‭production‬ ‭via‬ ‭hydrolysis‬ ‭faces‬ ‭notable‬ ‭inefficiencies,‬ ‭impacting‬ ‭its‬ ‭economic‬ ‭viability‬ ‭and‬
‭scalability.‬ ‭This‬ ‭memo‬ ‭proposes‬ ‭potential,‬ ‭innovative‬ ‭solutions‬ ‭to‬ ‭streamline‬ ‭green‬ ‭hydrogen‬
‭production,‬ ‭aligning‬ ‭with‬ ‭the‬ ‭Qatar‬ ‭National‬ ‭Vision‬ ‭of‬ ‭2030’s‬ ‭goals‬ ‭for‬ ‭a‬ ‭sustainable,‬
‭cost-effective energy future.‬

‭ ption A: Polymer Electrolyte Membrane (PEM) Electrolysis‬

O
‭Polymer‬ ‭Electrolyte‬ ‭Membrane‬ ‭electrolysis‬ ‭has‬ ‭several‬ ‭advantages,‬ ‭including‬ ‭a‬ ‭high‬ ‭current‬
‭density‬ ‭(meaning‬ ‭it‬ ‭can‬ ‭produce‬ ‭hydrogen‬ ‭at‬ ‭a‬ ‭relatively‬ ‭faster‬ ‭rate‬ ‭compared‬ ‭to‬ ‭some‬ ‭other‬
‭electrolysis‬ ‭methods),‬ ‭increased‬ ‭energy‬ ‭efficiency,‬ ‭and‬ ‭ease‬ ‭of‬ ‭handling‬ ‭and‬ ‭maintenance.‬
‭However,‬ ‭the‬‭main‬‭problem‬‭faced‬‭during‬‭the‬‭hydrogen‬‭production‬‭process‬‭of‬‭PEM‬‭Electrolysis‬
‭is‬ ‭that,‬ ‭due‬ ‭to‬ ‭slow‬ ‭gas‬ ‭penetration‬ ‭and‬ ‭mixing,‬ ‭low‬ ‭loads‬ ‭in‬ ‭electrolysis‬ ‭may‬ ‭delay‬ ‭the‬
‭production‬‭of‬‭hydrogen‬‭and‬‭oxygen.‬‭Theoretically,‬‭1.24‬‭N‬‭m‭3‬ ‬ ‭of‬‭hydrogen‬‭can‬‭be‬‭created‬‭from‬‭1‬
‭liter‬ ‭of‬ ‭water.‬ ‭Because‬ ‭both‬ ‭gases‬ ‭exit‬ ‭the‬ ‭electrolyzer‬ ‭wet,‬ ‭and‬ ‭some‬ ‭water‬ ‭is‬ ‭lost‬ ‭from‬ ‭the‬
‭system‬ ‭owing‬ ‭to‬ ‭oxygen‬ ‭exhaust‬ ‭and‬ ‭periodic‬ ‭hydrogen‬ ‭purge,‬ ‭actual‬ ‭water‬ ‭consumption‬ ‭is‬
‭around‬‭25%‬‭higher‬‭(Barbir,‬‭2005).‬‭Furthermore,‬‭due‬‭to‬‭the‬‭high‬‭prices‬‭of‬‭electrolyzers,‬‭hydrogen‬
‭generation‬ ‭is‬ ‭practical‬ ‭only‬ ‭for‬ ‭demonstrations,‬ ‭remote‬ ‭locations,‬ ‭or‬ ‭specialized‬ ‭uses,‬ ‭not‬ ‭for‬
‭daily‬ ‭use.‬ ‭Therefore,‬ ‭developing‬ ‭stable‬ ‭catalysts‬ ‭that‬ ‭are‬ ‭also‬ ‭cost-effective‬ ‭for‬ ‭the‬ ‭hydrogen‬
‭production‬ ‭reaction‬ ‭in‬ ‭PEM‬ ‭electrolysis‬ ‭is‬ ‭crucial.‬ ‭Although‬ ‭platinum‬ ‭(Pt)‬ ‭is‬ ‭the‬ ‭current‬
‭electrocatalyst‬ ‭standard,‬ ‭its‬ ‭large-scale‬ ‭use‬ ‭is‬ ‭hindered‬ ‭by‬‭its‬‭high‬‭cost‬‭and‬‭limited‬‭availability.‬
‭Researchers‬ ‭are‬ ‭currently‬ ‭investigating‬ ‭alternatives.‬ ‭These‬ ‭alternatives‬ ‭include‬ ‭atomically‬
‭distributed‬ ‭Pt‬ ‭on‬ ‭amorphous‬ ‭𝑀𝑜𝑂‬‭𝑥‭(‬ Molybdenum‬ ‭monoxide)‬ ‭and‬ ‭ultralow-temperature‬
p‭ roduction‬‭of‬‭single-atom‬‭Pt‬‭on‬‭carbon‬‭nanotubes.‬‭To‬‭achieve‬‭effective‬‭hydrogen‬‭production‬‭in‬
‭PEM‬ ‭electrolysis,‬ ‭these‬ ‭strategies‬ ‭aim‬ ‭to‬ ‭boost‬ ‭catalytic‬ ‭activity‬ ‭and‬ ‭stability‬‭and‬‭decrease‬‭the‬
‭use of Pt.‬

‭ ption B: Solid Oxide Electrolyzer Cell (SOEC)‬

O
‭Although‬ ‭SOECs‬‭are‬‭much‬‭more‬‭limited‬‭in‬‭lifespan,‬‭compared‬‭to‬‭PEM‬‭and‬‭other‬‭technologies,‬
‭improving‬‭certain‬‭aspects‬‭would‬‭allow‬‭us‬‭to‬‭achieve‬‭a‬‭competitive‬‭commercial‬‭model‬‭(Nechache‬
‭&‬ ‭Hody,‬ ‭2021).‬ ‭Due‬ ‭to‬ ‭extreme‬ ‭operating‬ ‭conditions‬ ‭at‬ ‭very‬ ‭high‬ ‭temperatures,‬ ‭the‬ ‭electrode‬
‭materials‬ ‭must‬ ‭withstand‬ ‭high‬ ‭temperatures‬ ‭and‬ ‭chemical‬ ‭reactivity‬ ‭without‬ ‭degradation‬ ‭over‬
‭time‬ ‭(Keçebaş,‬‭2019).‬‭The‬‭current‬‭most‬‭widely‬‭used‬‭hydrogen‬‭electrode‬‭material,‬‭Ni-YSZ,‬‭still‬
 p‭ oses‬‭several‬‭degradation‬‭problems‬‭as‬‭opposed‬‭to‬‭a‬‭newly‬‭investigated‬‭material,‬‭Ni-GDC,‬‭which‬
‭has‬‭been‬‭found‬‭to‬‭significantly‬‭lower‬‭degradation‬‭rates‬‭to‬‭as‬‭low‬‭as‬‭0.5%‬‭for‬‭every‬‭1000‬‭hours‬‭of‬
‭operation.‬‭Moreover,‬‭cells‬‭using‬‭this‬‭material‬‭have‬‭been‬‭found‬‭to‬‭have‬‭a‬‭70%‬‭steam‬‭conversion‬
‭rate,‬ ‭which‬ ‭demonstrates‬ ‭a‬ ‭high‬ ‭level‬ ‭of‬ ‭efficiency.‬ ‭GDC‬ ‭also‬ ‭eliminates‬ ‭the‬ ‭need‬ ‭for‬ ‭an‬
‭intermediate‬‭layer‬‭in‬‭the‬‭cell,‬‭ultimately‬‭reducing‬‭costs.‬‭As‬‭found‬‭by‬‭the‬‭Jülich‬‭Research‬‭Center,‬
‭for‬ ‭the‬ ‭O₂‬ ‭electrode,‬‭nickelate‬‭materials,‬‭including‬‭La‬‭2‬‭NiO‬‭4+δ‬ ‭have‬‭been‬‭found‬‭to‬‭show‬‭greater‬
‭durability‬ ‭during‬ ‭long-term‬ ‭operation‬ ‭(Nechache‬ ‭&‬ ‭Hody,‬ ‭2021).‬ ‭SOEC‬ ‭appears‬ ‭to‬ ‭be‬ ‭a‬ ‭very‬
‭viable‬‭form‬‭of‬‭production‬‭of‬‭green‬‭hydrogen.‬‭By‬‭adopting‬‭improvements‬‭in‬‭the‬‭materials‬‭used‬‭in‬
‭the cell, this method can be very competitive from an industrial perspective.‬

‭ ption C: Alkaline Water Electrolysis (AWE)‬

O
‭Although‬ ‭Alkaline‬ ‭Water‬ ‭Electrolysis‬ ‭(AWE)‬ ‭is‬ ‭one‬ ‭of‬ ‭the‬ ‭simplest‬ ‭methods‬ ‭for‬ ‭producing‬
‭hydrogen,‬ ‭it‬ ‭is‬ ‭somewhat‬ ‭expensive.‬ ‭This‬ ‭method‬ ‭is‬ ‭extremely‬ ‭clean‬ ‭and‬ ‭yields‬ ‭hydrogen‬ ‭gas‬
‭with‬ ‭a‬ ‭purity‬ ‭of‬ ‭more‬ ‭than‬ ‭99.99%.‬ ‭Furthermore,‬ ‭it‬ ‭is‬ ‭a‬ ‭renewable‬ ‭electricity-generating‬
‭technology.‬‭The‬‭AWE‬‭application‬‭for‬‭energy‬‭conversion‬‭in‬‭hydrogen‬‭energy‬‭systems‬‭is‬‭currently‬
‭being‬ ‭developed‬ ‭to‬ ‭increase‬ ‭efficiency‬ ‭through‬ ‭high-temperature‬ ‭and‬ ‭pressure‬ ‭operation.‬ ‭The‬
‭development‬‭of‬‭its‬‭competitors,‬‭such‬‭as‬‭Solid‬‭Polymer‬‭Electrolyte‬‭(SPE),‬‭will‬‭determine‬‭whether‬
‭or‬‭not‬‭this‬‭method‬‭may‬‭be‬‭deployed.‬ ‭The‬‭efficiency‬‭of‬‭hydrogen‬‭production‬‭is‬‭around‬‭80%.‬‭The‬
‭liquid‬ ‭electrolyte‬ ‭employed‬ ‭in‬ ‭the‬ ‭process‬ ‭has‬ ‭the‬ ‭drawback‬ ‭of‬ ‭being‬ ‭extremely‬ ‭corrosive‬ ‭at‬
‭higher‬ ‭temperatures,‬ ‭resulting‬ ‭in‬ ‭possible‬ ‭short‬ ‭life‬ ‭spans.‬ ‭Overall,‬ ‭The‬ ‭stack‬ ‭lifetime‬ ‭of‬‭AEC‬
‭can‬‭reach‬‭as‬‭long‬‭as‬‭60,000–90,000‬‭h,‬‭or‬‭7–10‬‭years.(Yu‬‭Luo‬‭et‬‭al.,‬‭2021)‬‭Alkaline‬‭electrolyzer‬
‭cells‬ ‭are‬ ‭incapable‬ ‭of‬ ‭operating‬ ‭at‬ ‭extremely‬ ‭low‬ ‭current‬ ‭densities‬ ‭either.‬ ‭In‬ ‭addition,‬ ‭new‬
‭alternatives‬ ‭for‬ ‭the‬ ‭diaphragm‬ ‭used‬ ‭to‬ ‭separate‬ ‭the‬ ‭generated‬ ‭gas‬ ‭from‬ ‭the‬ ‭electrode‬‭are‬‭being‬
‭researched,‬‭as‬‭the‬‭current‬‭diaphragm‬‭is‬‭made‬‭of‬‭porous‬‭white‬‭asbestos,‬‭which‬‭has‬‭been‬‭linked‬‭to‬
‭asbestosis and lung cancer, as per reports.‬

‭Decision Matrix:‬

‭Energy‬ ‭Scalability‬ ‭ conomic‬

E ‭Yield‬ ‭Lifespan‬ ‭Weighed‬
‭Efficiency‬ ‭(25%)‬ ‭efficiency‬ (‭ 15%)‬ ‭(13%)‬ ‭Total‬
‭(27%)‬ ‭(20%)‬

‭Option A: PEM‬ ‭5.67‬ ‭3.5‬ ‭3.4‬ ‭2.85‬ ‭1.82‬ ‭17.24‬

‭Electrolysis‬

‭Option B: AWE‬ ‭3.51‬ ‭5.5‬ ‭2.8‬ ‭3.45‬ ‭1.95‬ ‭17.21‬

‭Option C: SOEC‬ ‭6.75‬ ‭3.5‬ ‭2.6‬ ‭2.7‬ ‭1.82‬ ‭17.37‬

I‭ n‬‭the‬‭decision‬‭matrix,‬‭each‬‭potential‬‭solution‬‭was‬‭appraised‬‭against‬‭established‬‭criteria‬‭using‬‭a‬
‭rating‬ ‭scale‬ ‭from‬ ‭1‬‭to‬‭5,‬‭with‬‭5‬‭indicating‬‭strong‬‭alignment‬‭with‬‭the‬‭criteria‬‭and‬‭1‬‭representing‬
‭minimal‬ ‭relevance.‬ ‭The‬ ‭evaluation‬ ‭team's‬ ‭combined‬ ‭scores‬ ‭were‬ ‭methodically‬ ‭entered‬‭into‬‭the‬
‭matrix and multiplied by the weight of each criterion to achieve the total points for each solution.‬

‭ hen‬ ‭weighing‬ ‭the‬ ‭significance‬ ‭of‬ ‭each‬ ‭criterion,‬ ‭the‬ ‭scope‬ ‭of‬ ‭the‬ ‭problem‬ ‭was‬ ‭taken‬ ‭into‬
W
‭account.‬ ‭As‬ ‭Qatar‬ ‭is‬ ‭still‬ ‭in‬ ‭the‬ ‭early‬ ‭stages‬ ‭of‬ ‭an‬ ‭innovative‬ ‭transition‬ ‭to‬ ‭clean‬ ‭energy,‬ ‭the‬
‭practicality of the process outweighed other aspects:‬

‭●‬ E ‭ nergy‬‭Efficiency‬‭(27%‬‭Weight):‬ ‭This‬‭metric‬‭evaluates‬‭the‬‭ratio‬‭of‬‭energy‬‭consumed‬‭to‬

‭hydrogen‬‭produced,‬‭which‬‭is‬‭critical‬‭since‬‭the‬‭viability‬‭of‬‭hydrogen‬‭as‬‭an‬‭energy‬‭carrier‬
‭is undermined if energy input exceeds the output.‬
‭●‬ ‭Scalability‬ ‭(25%‬ ‭Weight):‬ ‭The‬ ‭potential‬‭for‬‭upscaling‬‭the‬‭production‬‭process‬‭is‬‭crucial,‬
‭as‬ ‭hydrogen‬ ‭is‬ ‭anticipated‬ ‭to‬ ‭serve‬ ‭as‬ ‭a‬ ‭sustainable‬ ‭alternative‬ ‭to‬ ‭fossil‬ ‭fuels;‬ ‭thus,‬‭the‬
‭technology must be viable for industrial-scale production.‬
‭●‬ ‭Economic‬ ‭Efficiency‬ ‭(20%‬ ‭Weight)‬‭:‬ ‭The‬‭cost-effectiveness‬‭of‬‭the‬‭hydrogen‬‭production‬
‭process‬ ‭is‬ ‭a‬ ‭significant‬ ‭consideration.‬ ‭As‬ ‭hydrogen‬ ‭technology‬ ‭is‬ ‭relatively‬ ‭novel,‬ ‭it‬ ‭is‬
‭imperative to ensure affordability to foster adoption by new consumers.‬
‭●‬ ‭Yield‬ ‭(15%‬ ‭Weight)‬‭:‬ ‭The‬ ‭yield‬ ‭is‬ ‭a‬ ‭measure‬ ‭of‬ ‭the‬ ‭usable‬ ‭product‬ ‭from‬ ‭a‬ ‭process,‬
‭assigned‬‭a‬‭15%‬‭weight.‬‭It‬‭reflects‬‭resource‬‭utilization‬‭efficiency‬‭but‬‭is‬‭considered‬‭in‬‭the‬
‭context of more critical factors.‬
‭●‬ ‭Life‬ ‭Span‬ ‭(13%‬ ‭Weight):‬ ‭The‬ ‭life‬ ‭span‬ ‭represents‬ ‭the‬ ‭durability‬ ‭of‬ ‭the‬ ‭technology‬
‭weighing‬ ‭13%,‬ ‭reflecting‬ ‭a‬ ‭focus‬ ‭on‬ ‭more‬ ‭immediate‬ ‭criteria‬ ‭while‬ ‭acknowledging‬ ‭its‬
‭relevance to long-term viability.‬

‭ iven‬‭that‬‭Solid‬‭Oxide‬‭Electrolyzer‬‭Cells‬‭(SOEC)‬‭have‬‭garnered‬‭the‬‭highest‬‭points‬‭according‬‭to‬
G
‭our decision matrix criteria, SOEC has been selected as the final solution.‬

‭Works Cited:‬

‭●‬ N ‭ echache,‬‭A.,‬‭&‬‭Hody,‬‭S.‬‭(2021).‬‭Alternative‬‭and‬‭innovative‬‭solid‬‭oxide‬‭electrolysis‬‭cell‬
‭materials:‬ ‭A‬ ‭short‬ ‭review.‬ ‭Renewable‬ ‭and‬ ‭Sustainable‬ ‭Energy‬ ‭Reviews,‬ ‭149,‬ ‭111322.‬
‭https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rser.2021.111322‬
‭●‬ ‭Frano‬ ‭Barbir.‬ ‭(2005).‬ ‭PEM‬ ‭electrolysis‬ ‭for‬ ‭the‬ ‭production‬ ‭of‬ ‭hydrogen‬‭from‬‭renewable‬

‭energy‬ ‭sources.‬ ‭Solar‬ ‭Energy,‬ ‭78(5),‬ ‭661–669.‬

‭https://doi.org/10.1016/j.solener.2004.09.003 ‌‬
‭●‬ W ‭ ang,‬ ‭T.,‬ ‭Cao,‬ ‭X.,‬ ‭&‬ ‭Jiao,‬ ‭L.‬ ‭(2022,‬ ‭June‬ ‭2).‬ ‭PEM‬ ‭water‬ ‭electrolysis‬ ‭for‬ ‭hydrogen‬
‭production:‬ ‭Fundamentals,‬ ‭advances,‬ ‭and‬ ‭prospects‬ ‭-‬ ‭carbon‬ ‭neutrality‬‭.‬ ‭SpringerLink.‬
‭https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s43979-022-00022-8‬
‭●‬ ‭Keçebaş,‬ ‭Ali,‬ ‭et‬ ‭al.‬ ‭(2019).‬ ‭Electrochemical‬ ‭Hydrogen‬ ‭Generation.‬ ‭Solar‬ ‭Hydrogen‬
‭Production‬‭, 299–317,‬‭https://doi.org/10.1016/b978-0-12-814853-2.00009-6‬‭.‬
‭●‬ ‭Keçebaş,‬ ‭A.,‬ ‭Kayfeci,‬ ‭M.,‬ ‭&‬ ‭Bayat,‬ ‭M.‬ ‭(2019,‬ ‭January‬‭1).‬‭Chapter‬‭9‬‭-‬‭Electrochemical‬
‭hydrogen‬ ‭generation‬ ‭(F.‬ ‭Calise,‬ ‭M.‬ ‭D.‬ ‭D’Accadia,‬ ‭M.‬ ‭Santarelli,‬ ‭A.‬ ‭Lanzini,‬ ‭&‬ ‭D.‬
‭Ferrero,‬ ‭Eds.).‬ ‭ScienceDirect;‬ ‭Academic‬ ‭Press.‬
‭https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/B9780128148532000096‬
‭●‬ ‭Navarro,‬ ‭R.‬ ‭M.,‬ ‭Guil,‬ ‭R.,‬ ‭&‬ ‭Fierro,‬ ‭J.‬ ‭L.‬ ‭G.‬ ‭(2015,‬ ‭January‬ ‭1).‬ ‭2‬ ‭-‬ ‭Introduction‬ ‭to‬
‭hydrogen‬ ‭production‬‭(V.‬‭Subramani,‬‭A.‬‭Basile,‬‭&‬‭T.‬‭N.‬‭Veziroğlu,‬‭Eds.).‬‭ScienceDirect;‬
‭Woodhead‬ ‭Publishing.‬
‭https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/B9781782423614000029‬
‭●‬ ‭Hybrid‬ ‭Systems‬ ‭and‬ ‭Multi-energy‬ ‭Networks‬ ‭for‬ ‭the‬ ‭Future‬ ‭Energy‬ ‭Internet.‬ ‭(2021).‬ ‭In‬

‭Elsevier eBooks‬‭. https://doi.org/10.1016/c2018-0-04812-4‬