After a year and a half working together, it’s time to think back and reflect on the progress of the project.
We are halfway through ASTERISK, and that can only mean one thing: we are getting closer and closer to achieving our goals!
Despite the extreme heatwave currently gripping a large part of Europe, we were still eager to get together, see each other in person, and review our successes as a team. Thanks to our colleagues at TU Berlin, who hosted this third meeting, we enjoyed three highly productive days in the German capital – and also an incredible boat trip through the ancient city centre!
As our coordinator, Pau Farràs, said when he welcomed us: “It’s a pleasure to see each other in person because that’s where discussions are truly fruitful.” It was the perfect opportunity to discuss the objectives we met through our deliverables, the milestones marking the progress of a project like ours, and, of course, the difficulties we are facing. If there weren’t any challenges, it would mean our proposal wasn’t bold enough so, for ASTERISK, a challenge is simply a goal that takes just a little more effort to reach.
During our meeting, we had the opportunity to visit the laboratories of our colleagues at TU Berlin. As well as being experts in electrolyser design, they are second to none when it comes to developing electrocatalysts, ionomers and membranes. Furthermore, this team uses incredibly powerful techniques like X-ray spectroscopy to “see” inside our electrolysers and study the structure. Within ASTERISK, their job is to ensure that everything functions perfectly as a whole.
In his inaugural speech, Peter Strasser explained that electrochemistry has a long-standing tradition at TU Berlin. Brilliant scientists such as Franz Fischer have worked here. Fischer is known as the father of one of the most important catalytic technologies in chemistry, so important, in fact, that it is named after him: the Fischer–Tropsch process, which converts carbon monoxide and hydrogen into liquid fuels. In Strasser’s view, projects such as ASTERISK mark a new chapter in the history of electrochemistry at TU Berlin: “In recent years, electrochemistry has focused on resource recovery, renewable raw materials, and cost-effective, energy-efficient ways of storing and converting energy; this is precisely what we do at ASTERISK.”
During our meeting, we presented the results we have obtained to date, including the compositions used for the catalysts, the performance of our membrane, and how each component behaves when subjected to the corrosive action of seawater for around 200 to 260 hours.
Without a doubt, the most interesting aspect of these face-to-face meetings is the scientific discussions that take place. Sometimes, a sound recommendation from another team can guide and change the course of our own research. This was the case with the Galway team, in Ireland, who were experiencing problems with their catalysts due to a low electrical current. However, thanks to suggestions from our partner De Nora, in Italy, they incorporated elements such as tantalum, which significantly improved their experimental results. Thanks to the solid foundation of basic science, colleagues such as Sorigue, in Spain, were able to apply their knowledge and translate theory into reality. Their goal is to have a pilot water de-alkalisation plant operational by the end of the year.
Last, but not least, thanks to the preparatory work carried out by our colleague Eleonora Crenna (from HES-SO, in Switzerland), we were able to take part in a workshop on sustainability during the meeting, with the aim of gathering information on the challenges we typically face in the laboratory in this regard. Once again, meeting face-to-face facilitated brainstorming, and we hope to incorporate new approaches into our research that will minimise our ecological footprint.
We couldn’t be happier with the results achieved so far. For those of us who hadn’t yet met in person, this face-to-face meeting has given us new ideas and directions to explore. It’s now time to head home, but with our sights set on our next meeting in Sion, Switzerland.
We hope to share more good news by then!