ASTERISK, transforming seawater into green hydrogen

WP Coordinator: TUB
Partners involved in this WP: JSI, GALWAY, IDN, UNEW, TECHNION, NOVAMEA

Explanation about this WP:
This work package will focus on the design of the different components of an electrolyser to produce green hydrogen using synthetic seawater: in particular, catalysts and a semi-permeable membrane will be developed.

Catalysts are materials that accelerate chemical reactions that would occur naturally. Typically, they use expensive and scarce materials such as platinum: however, ASTERISK aims to replace their use with more abundant materials. Our researchers will use simulation tools to study which chemical and physical properties improve the performance of catalysts, helping to identify the most efficient materials.

Membranes are materials that allow the selective passage of ions, electrically charged particles. In an electrolyser, semi permeable membranes separate oxygen and hydrogen. During this WP, anion exchange membranes (AEM) will be developed, avoiding the use of toxic chemicals such as fluorinated compounds.

The entire system will be integrated into an electrochemical cell, and the performance of the electrolyser will be monitored over time.

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WP Coordinator: LEITAT
Partners involved in this WP: ACSA, UNEW

Explanation about this WP:
This work package will focus on seawater treatment in separate phases: first, different membranes will be developed to filter all contaminants (biological remains, inorganic, suspended solids) in an efficient and simple way. The researchers will also test the lifetime of the membranes and different strategies for cleaning them so that their fouling does not affect their filtering capacity.

The purpose of this first phase is to enable electrolysis to be carried out in an efficient way, without damaging the equipment or obstructing its operation.

On the other hand, ASTERISK seeks to revalue certain components of seawater relevant to the industry, such as calcium or magnesium. To this end, we will develop membranes capable of filtering, extracting and recovering these salts using membrane crystallisers. All of this will first be tested with synthetic brines in order to obtain information on the economic viability and energy costs of using this technique.

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WP Coordinator: AGATA
Partners involved in this WP: GALWAY (all)

Explanation about this WP:
Communication is an essential aspect of any project of this nature. Therefore, ASTERISK dedicates an entire work package to communicate and disseminate its mission, progress and results to specific audiences, using the appropriate messages and channels in each case.

The target audiences are (a) other researchers and academic projects, (b) policy makers, (c) commercial partners/investors, (d) general public, STEM students, journalists and media. In addition, an own brand for ASTERISK will be established, as well as a communication and dissemination strategy or plan.

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