GSS EU Science Funding Gateway

The project should consider the following requirements:

• Identify and develop suitable materials (catalysts, membrane when implemented, coatings, Porous Transport Layers, Bipolar Plates, sealings), as well as electrolyser design options and operating conditions relevant to the seawater composition of interest in correlation with electrolyser cell performance and selectivity.
• Experimental and model-based studies on the durability of materials, components and resulting prototype in harsh environment.
• Optimise advanced cost effective and limited CRM use electrocatalysts concerning activity, durability, and selectivity for the HER and OER with high tolerance to poisoning caused by chlorides, salts, and various contaminants (including ammonia and organic contaminants) present in seawater.
• Reduce the experimental efforts by means of the application of computer modelling tools including computational material science-based simulation approach.
• Integrate and test corrosion resistant new cost effective and available components into a prototype short stack (> 5cells) operated under dynamic mode simulating the intermittent behaviour of solar or wind power sources (RES).
• Identify the correlations between the durability of the component/system under development and its cyclic operating conditions.
• Operate the stack under representative conditions (to evaluate its performance and durability for at least 2000 h of cumulative operation and a minimum of 1500 cycles from idle to nominal operating conditions to simulate the dynamic electricity input from fluctuating renewable sources). The degradation rates should be measured during this time and reported in %/1000 h.
• Identify, define, and test a safe operating window in terms of durability based on the typical characteristics (e.g. salinities) of at least two types of sea feedwater corresponding to the prospective areas of application – relevant synthetic seawater according to the above identified geographic regions can be considered at some stages of long-term testing while final tests should consider the use of the natural water samples.
• Assess the circularity and techno-economic and environmental feasibility of the proposed technology, including the CRM cost – system durability tradeoff and evaluation of the brine as a source of extractable raw materials.