Scaled-up seawater system produces both hydrogen and fresh water with higher efficiency
Researchers have developed a 250-kW system that efficiently produces both hydrogen and fresh water from seawater using waste heat. This innovation addresses the stability and energy efficiency issues that have previously hindered seawater electrolysis.
Why it matters
Provides a sustainable pathway for large-scale hydrogen production and desalination, addressing both energy and water scarcity.
edited by Lisa Lock , reviewed by Robert Egan
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Add as preferred source The 250-kW equipment for co-production of hydrogen and fresh water from seawater. Credit: Nature Energy (2026). DOI: 10.1038/s41560-026-02130-6 Water electrolyzers are promising devices that use electricity to split water into hydrogen and oxygen. If powered by solar cells or other renewable energy technologies, they could contribute to the sustainable production of hydrogen used to make ammonia, which in turn is used to produce fertilizers and other valuable compounds.
Most water electrolyzers require purified water, even though seawater is far more abundant on Earth. This is because the salts in seawater can damage the devices and interfere with electrolysis, the process by which water is split into hydrogen and oxygen.
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