Bolstered by its participation in research and development grants from the U.S. Department of Energy, scientists at chemicals company Chemours are developing new membranes for PEM water electrolysis and taking part in a consortium focused on circularity infrastructure for clean hydrogen materials. This report is part of our continued coverage of the technologies, companies and institutions participating in the landmark package of grants from DOE to support advancement in the global hydrogen economy.
Announced in March, the grants are part of a landmark $750 million funding for projects to advance hydrogen technologies and improve manufacturing and recycling capabilities for clean hydrogen systems and components. Chemours is participating in two awards totaling $60 million and is the project leader on a $10 million award targeting some of its key membrane expertise for proton exchange membrane (PEM) water electrolysis.
“At Chemours, our advanced chemistry and technology are at the heart of the hydrogen economy and essential to producing and deploying clean hydrogen,” said Gerardo Familiar, President of Advanced Performance Materials at Chemours. “We have a unique place in the hydrogen supply chain as the leading global supplier of ionomers and membranes for PEM electrolysis, the only domestic manufacturer of ion exchange materials, and a key project partner in the Appalachian Regional Clean Hydrogen Hub (ARCH2) under the U.S. DOE’s Regional Clean Hydrogen Hub initiative. As such, we must look further into the future and take a responsible approach to building and maintaining this evolving industry. Enabling the circularity of the materials necessary to produce clean hydrogen well into the future will be essential to this effort and aligns with our longstanding sustainability values.”
Chemours is the lead recipient on a project entitled “Durable, High-Performance Membranes for Proton Exchange Membrane Water Electrolysis”, where the company will leverage its technical expertise to develop a low-resistance Nafion membrane that demonstrates high levels of durability in a PEM electrolyzer stack. The project’s goals include creating products that can be manufactured cost-effectively at scale, a significant challenge the hydrogen industry faces today. Other participants are Cummins the University of Delaware.
In the other project, it is a partner in H2CIRC, a new consortium dedicated to producing a blueprint for the hydrogen industry to efficiently and sustainably recover and recycle materials and components from fuel cells and electrolyzers.
Meanwhile, Chemours researchers continue to develop their Nafion membranes made from an ion exchange polymer that provides good chemical and thermal stability. One type, Chlor-Alkali Membranes,
involve the electrolysis of aqueous sodium chloride (a brine) in a membrane cell. The membranes are designed to provide enhanced anion rejection, supporting the transport of sodium or potassium from the brine to form sodium or potassium hydroxide in an electrochemical cell.
“Chemours is committed to using the power of its chemistry to advance the clean energy transition and hydrogen economy. Selection by the U.S. Department of Energy for these grants furthers our leading role and builds on the public, private, and academic partnerships whose collaborative efforts support the global adoption of hydrogen as a clean energy source,” added Stefanie Kopchick, Hydrogen Business Venture Leader at Chemours. “Our Nafion ion exchange membranes play a critical role in driving the hydrogen economy and helping to create a more sustainable future, and these funds will help to accelerate their further development as well as taking a proactive approach to building an infrastructure supporting circularity of fuel cells and electrolyzers.” For more info, see www.chemours.com.
