ELECTROLYSERS

The point is hydrogen: hydrogen is produced from renewable and also in parallel with energy production.
We can see in the picture hydro (water cycle), wind, photovoltaic (energy of the sun), natural gas, biomass,
etc. We can also see several ways to produce directly hydrogen, for example from coal or with Water Gas
Shift. Another way to produce hydrogen is water electrolysis. Once it has been produced, we can use
hydrogen in several ways, and the most fruitable one is through fuel cells. We already know that hydrogen
produced by electricity is not usual because it is not convenient, electricity involves economic losses, in Italy
electrical energy cost are still too high. In the past, aluminium was mainly produced in Norway (it has the
highest pro capite index in the world, they have a big amount of electricity). In the past, the best way to use
electricity was the production of alumina. Aluminium and magnesium cycle are from a company which is
called “Hydropower”, the patent (brevetto) is from Hydropower (Norway). In order to produce 1 kg of
aluminium we need 14 kWh of energy, in order to produce 1 kg of magnesium we need 17 kWh of energy.
Such energy has a cost, that is not affortable for everyone. In some country (not many countries), the cost
of the electrical energy is quite low, this is the reason why in Norway (for example) they are able to keep on
the production of alumina. They probably haven’t bauxite in thei territory, but this is not a problema,
bauxite can be imported from all over the world, the highest cost is the electrical energy cost. Another one
country with a lot of Energy in Europe is Iceland, they have a lot of geothermic energy. Iceland was the first
country which studied hydrogen cars, the first attempt of hydrogen to fuel a car was in Iceland. Sweden
says that within the 2020 it would change radically their way, they will switch from endothermic engine to
electrical engine, with fuel cells.

 ALKALINE ELECTROLYSER:
The alkaline electrolyser is possible to be bought in the market. It is the most common electrolyser for
several high production of hydrogen. It is an alkaline electrolyser, so this means that the electrolyser is
sodium idroxide. At the anode we have water, which is reduced in order to let the hydrogen go towards
the cathod; the electrons are coming from the external circuit. Here, we procude hydrogen and sodium
idroxide, such idroxide is entering the electrolyte. This eccess of sodium idroxide which comes from the
cathode is oxidised at the anode with oxygen oxidation. There is a mistake, it’s missed a molecule of
water. With the water at the cathode side we get hydrogen; the OH- ions are entering the electrolyte,
they pass from one side to the opposite side and then we have oxidation of oxygen in order to produce
oxigen as a gas.