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The original article appeared in SciTechDaily newsletter
Game-Changing New Technology Can Squeeze Hydrogen From Seawater
By University of SharjahJune 5, 20252 Comments6 Mins ReadHydrogen Seawater Tanks Pipes
Summary: Researchers have developed a novel, scalable method to produce hydrogen directly from seawater, offering a revolutionary solution for clean energy production without desalination. Credit: Shutterstock
A new electrode enables scalable hydrogen production from seawater, offering a clean, desalination-free solution for arid coastal regions.
Researchers at the University of Sharjah have developed a new technology that can produce clean hydrogen fuel directly from seawater, and at an industrial scale.
In a study published in the journal Small, the team reported that they were able to extract hydrogen without removing the mineral salts found in seawater or adding any chemicals.
The researchers say the method eliminates the need for desalination plants, which are expensive to build and operate, often costing hundreds of millions of dollars.
Engineered electrode resists seawater corrosion
“We developed a novel, multi-layered electrode that can extract hydrogen directly from seawater efficiently and sustainably. Traditional methods face a host of problems, mainly corrosion and performance degradation caused by chloride ions in seawater,” said Dr. Tanveer Ul Haq, Assistant Professor in the Department of Chemistry at the University of Sharjah and the study’s lead author.
The team designed a custom-built electrode that, according to Dr. Ul Haq, “overcomes these issues by creating a protective and reactive microenvironment that boosts performance while resisting damage.”
Systematic illustration of the formation process of how the new device extracts hydrogen from seawater. Credit: Small (2025)
As the need for clean energy grows more urgent, hydrogen has emerged as a promising solution. But producing it has typically required pure water, which is scarce in many parts of the world.
This research offers a potential breakthrough by presenting a method for producing hydrogen directly from seawater, avoiding the need for freshwater resources.
“In short, we’ve demonstrated that direct seawater electrolysis is not only possible but scalable, delivering industrial-level efficiency while protecting the electrode over long-term use,” Dr. Ul Haq added.
Efficient performance in real seawater conditions
In their study, the researchers describe their device as a “microenvironment-engineered, multilayered electrode design for sustainable seawater electrolysis.” When in operation, the apparatus delivers “a geometric current density of 1 A cm⁻² in real seawater at an overpotential of 420 mV, with no hypochlorite formation and outstanding operational stability for 300 hours at room temperature.”
The electrode, the study notes, produces hydrogen at industrially relevant rates using untreated seawater. Nearly all the electrical input was converted into gas output, achieving a Faradaic efficiency of 98%.
“The advanced anode design achieves an industrially viable current density of 1.0 A cm⁻² at 1.65 V under standard conditions, marking a significant step toward scalable, desalination-free hydrogen production directly from seawater.”
Faradaic efficiency measures the effectiveness with which electrons participate in a given electrochemical reaction.
“We created an advanced electrode that works in real seawater without needing any pre-treatment or desalination,” said the study’s corresponding author, Yousef Haik, Professor of Mechanical and Nuclear Engineering at the University of Sharjah.
Designed for arid, sun-rich regions
“Our system generates hydrogen at industrially relevant rates—1 ampere per square centimeter—with low energy input. This could revolutionize how we think about hydrogen production in coastal regions, especially in arid countries like the UAE, where freshwater is limited but sunlight and seawater are abundant.”
The technology’s strength lies in the electrode’s advanced, multilayered structure, which not only withstands harsh seawater conditions but thrives in them. The device forms “a protective metaborate film, preventing metal dissolution and non-conductive oxide formation”—an approach that eliminates the need for energy-intensive water purification.
“This bypasses costly desalination and complex water purification, making green hydrogen production cheaper and more accessible,” said co-author Mourad Smari, a research associate at Sharjah University’s Institute of Science and Engineering.
Protective films extend system lifespan
One of the most impressive features of the system is its longevity. “It runs for over 300 hours without performance loss, resisting corrosion that usually destroys similar systems,” said Dr. Ul Haq. The study explains that the carbonate layer “acts as an electrostatic shield,” protecting the electrode’s multiple layers from dissolution.
In performance tests, the electrode achieved a turnover frequency of 139.4 s⁻¹ at 1.6 V, which the authors consider one of the highest reported for similar systems.
Electrochemical Performance, Surface Characterization, and Stability Analysis of Electrode After 300 Hour Alkaline Seawater Electrolysis
Faradic efficiency: corrosion potential and corrosion current density recorded before and after 300 h electrolysis, chronopotentiometry of valance band spectrum, and Raman spectrum after 300 h continuous electrolysis in alkaline seawater. Credit: Small (2025)“In summary, the multilayered electrode architecture developed in this study provides an effective solution for efficient direct seawater electrolysis,” the study concludes. “The ultrathin nanosheet morphology, with its high surface area, facilitates substantial catalyst exposure and activity, maximizing the surface sites available for direct seawater oxidation.”
Dr. Ul Haq emphasized the technology’s potential impact on clean and sustainable energy production.
Clean energy with coastal scalability“This technology can be applied in large-scale hydrogen plants that use seawater instead of precious freshwater. Imagine solar-powered hydrogen farms along the UAE coastline, using seawater and sunlight to produce clean fuel—with zero emissions and minimal resource strain.”
Asked to explain in simple terms how the multilayered design works, Dr. Ul Haq said, “The electrode’s layered design acts like a smart filter—allowing water in, blocking corrosion, and supercharging hydrogen production.” He added that the system’s performance is largely due to how it handles chloride ions in seawater.
The carbonate functionalization repels these ions and creates a local acidic microenvironment that accelerates the oxygen evolution reaction (OER), essential for hydrogen production. The paper notes that this mechanism “enhances OER kinetics and protects against chloride attack and precipitate formation.”
From lab success to real-world pilot
The technology has already attracted interest from “clean energy startups and regional innovation hubs,” Dr. Ul Haq noted. “Our innovation transforms seawater from a challenge into a solution… This is clean hydrogen made from the sea.”
The researchers are now looking forward to large-scale deployment of their technology. “We’re now moving from lab-scale to pilot-scale testing, looking to validate the technology under real-world outdoor conditions,” Dr. Ul Haq said. “Our next goal is to develop a modular hydrogen generator powered by solar energy, tailored for use in arid, coastal regions.”
Reference: “Microenvironment-Engineered Multilayered Electrode Design for Sustainable Seawater Oxidation” by Tanveer ul Haq, Aleena Tahir, Mourad Smari, Mohammad Yousef Al Haik and Yousef Haik, 27 April 2025, Small.
DOI: 10.1002/smll.202501376
https://www.sharjah.ac.ae/en/Discover-UoS/Contact-Us
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The story at the link below is about a European group working on another method of separating water to yield hydrogen using sunlight as the power source.
https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/res … 53545.html
Researchers make critical breakthrough that could transform shipping and aviation: 'The new material has 8 times better performance'
Rick Kazmer
Thu, July 24, 2025 at 6:45 AM EDT
3 min read
Researchers make critical breakthrough that could transform shipping and aviation: 'The new material has 8 times better performance'Researchers from Linköping University in Sweden are using sunlight to make hydrogen in an effort to expand the alternative fuel's use in transportation, according to a summary published by EurekAlert.
The onus partly comes from European Union regulations that crack down on tailpipe exhaust. By 2035, no new vehicles sold should spew planet-warming carbon dioxide emissions, per the European Parliament.
Electric vehicles are an already popular solution. But the Linköping team said hydrogen is better suited for other types of transportation.
"Passenger cars can have a battery, but heavy trucks, ships, or aircraft cannot use a battery to store the energy. For these means of transport, we need to find clean and renewable energy sources," Associate Professor Jianwu Sun said in the summary.
Electric aircraft, and even big rigs, are in development or in use. But if made cleanly, hydrogen could be a powerful alternative to dirty fuels.
The Linköping method uses a special three-layered material that includes cubic silicon carbide, cobalt oxide, and a catalyst that helps to split water. The combination can collect sunlight and separate hydrogen from water using a photochemical reaction and electric charges, according to the research.
"The new material has eight times better performance than pure cubic silicon carbide for splitting water into hydrogen," Sun said, per EurekAlert.
It's similar to artificial leaf research happening at Cambridge that uses the sun to make cleaner-burning ethanol and propanol.
In Sweden, the new material overcame some electric charge hurdles. Now the team intends to improve efficiency from a couple percent to up to 10% within a decade, according to the summary. That aligns with the EU's transportation goals.
Most hydrogen in the U.S. and elsewhere is made using fossil fuels. For every ton of hydrogen made using this dirty method, more than 10 tons of heat-trapping carbon dioxide is also generated, the Energy Information Administration and Linköping reported.
When burned, hydrogen emits nitrogen oxides, which can also be a health risk. The cleanest form of the gas is so-called "green" hydrogen, which is made with electrolysis — electricity splitting it from water like the Linköping approach. Green hydrogen is the only type Sierra Club would "consider supporting" on a "case-by-case" basis, the watchdog said in a fact sheet.
Using the gas in a fuel cell to create energy results in only water, heat and power as byproducts. The U.S. Energy Department reported that cost, performance, and durability are some hurdles for widespread fuel cell use. But the tech is already powering vehicles, including high-tech race cars.
If hydrogen can be made and used cleanly, it could help to hasten the shift from dirty nonrenewables. For its part, transportation causes about 16.2% of world-warming air pollution, according to Our World in Data. What's more, tailpipe exhaust can cause lung and heart diseases, as well as cancer, the Environmental Protection Agency added.
EVs are a reliable alternative that provide plenty of range and increasing charging options. Each EV that replaces a gas-burner prevents thousands of pounds of emissions, per the DOE. Tax breaks of up to $7,500 expire Sept. 30, due to recently passed legislation that ends the credit early. But many states also offer unique benefits and rebates for the cleaner rides. Additionally, you could save up to $1,500 a year on gas/maintenance – so now is a great time to switch.
At Linköping, the team sees its innovation as part of the solution for future transportation, particularly for heavy-duty use.
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The article at the link below is about plans to produce green hydrogen at a facility in California. The piece that's missing from the plan is use of sea water instead of ground water. Other than that, the plan appears to check all the boxes for a renewable energy supply.
The target audience is heavy freight transportation, which is currently running on diesel.
https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/ene … 00947.html
LA Times
The energy source that could survive Trump's attack on California's green ambitions
Hayley Smith
Fri, August 1, 2025 at 6:00 AM EDTVernon, CA - July 15: A view of construction at the new Avina Clean Hydrogen Facility, a new clean hydrogen facility in Vernon and slated for
opening this fall. The clean hydrogen produced by this facility will help the transportation industry transition away from fossil fuels. Photo taken at
Avina Clean Hydrogen Facility in Vernon Tuesday, July 15, 2025. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)A view of construction at the new Avina Clean Hydrogen Facility in Vernon, slated for opening this fall. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
At a construction site along the Los Angeles River, just south of where four freeways converge in Vernon, a crane hoisted a set of massive white pipes into the air on a recent weekday morning.
The pipes will eventually be connected to fuel dispensers where they will serve as storage vessels for hydrogen — a growing yet controversial source of energy that some see as key to California's ambitious climate goals.
The site is being developed by a New Jersey-based company called Avina in partnership with Vernon Public Utilities. When completed this October, it is planned to produce up to 4 metric tons of compressed green hydrogen a day to power heavy-duty trucks and buses, helping to clean up one of the worst polluting sectors in the state.
The facility is expected to eliminate approximately 130,000 metric tons of planet-warming carbon dioxide emissions annually, according to Avina. Company officials said it will be the largest clean hydrogen project with on-site dispensing — meaning pumps where fleets can refuel — in the country.
The project is rising in spite of a rapidly changing energy landscape in the United States. The Trump administration in recent months has slashed subsidies, grants and tax benefits that support wind, solar and renewable energy projects, while simultaneously championing fossil fuels in the name of energy independence. Trump received record donations from oil and gas interests during his 2024 presidential campaign.
Construction continues at the new Avina Clean Hydrogen Facility in Vernon.
Construction continues at the new Avina Clean Hydrogen Facility in Vernon. Company officials said it will be the largest clean hydrogen project with on-site dispensing — meaning pumps where fleets can refuel — in the country. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
Hydrogen has also been hit by the administration's shifting objectives, with Trump's landmark spending plan — the so-called Big Beautiful Bill — slated to end federal tax incentives for new hydrogen projects that break ground after Jan 1, 2028. Already this year, the Department of Energy has canceled billions of dollars in funding for clean energy projects, and is considering slashing $1.2 billion for a major hydrogen hub in California awarded by President Biden.
Yet even in the absence of such support, Southern California is doubling down on hydrogen, both as an investment and a pathway toward carbon neutrality.
"This is one of the reasons why we think California is really going to stand out," said Vishal Shah, Avina's founder and chief executive, as he walked through the construction site in Vernon. "Because when federal legislation changes happen, what happens is states step up."
Shah said California's climate leadership is part of what drew Avina to the state. The project has received grants from CalStart — a clean transportation nonprofit — and the California Energy Commission, along with two rounds of funding from energy and tech investors including Chart Industries and KBR.
"What's also driving us are state-level regulations that are going to continue to push these fleets — and a lot of other consumers — toward zero-emission transportation," Shah said. California has committed to reaching carbon neutrality by 2045.
Hydrogen is not without detractors, however. The process is energy- and water-intensive and has historically been linked to the production of natural gas. That's because one of the most common methods of producing it involves heating methane to release the hydrogen, which can also release nitrogen oxides and other pollutants in the process.
Vishal Shah at the facility in Vernon that will help the transportation industry transition away from fossil fuels.
Vishal Shah, founder and chief executive of Avina, is photographed at the company's planned Clean Hydrogen Facility in Vernon that will help the transportation industry transition away from fossil fuels. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
"Instead of reducing climate emissions, hydrogen projects can increase emissions and extend the life of fossil fuel infrastructure," the nonprofit Food & Water Watch wrote in a recent news release about California's hydrogen hub.
Hydrogen's link to fossil fuels may also be why the Trump administration's approach to it has been murkier than its approach to renewables such as wind and solar. Just before the Big Beautiful Bill's passage, the Senate decided to extended its hydrogen tax credit deadline from the end of this year to the end of 2027.
Read more: California's billion-dollar hydrogen hub project is approved — but not without controversy
Avina says it's working on a cleaner approach. The Vernon facility will use large electrolyzer machines powered by 100% clean energy to split hydrogen from water. The machines will be fueled by wind and solar projects in California, along with energy sourced from Vernon Public Utilities, whose grid is currently 40% renewable-powered.
The water used in the process — about 30,000 to 40,000 gallons per day — will come entirely from Vernon's groundwater, with no imported supplies, according to Margie Otto, assistant general manager of Vernon Public Utilities.
"Knowing that there is all this legislative requirement to go as green as you can — as renewable you can — how do you get there?" Otto said. "When you look at the different renewable sources like solar and wind and geothermal, they have limitations on the volume that they can provide as well as the sustained availability. Clean hydrogen is one of those good mediums that addresses both: It puts out very low emissions, plus, volume-wise, it can handle what would traditionally be provided with common fuel sources like natural gas and petroleum."
A construction worker on site at the Avina Clean Hydrogen Facility.
A construction worker on site at the Avina Clean Hydrogen Facility. The project has received grants from CalStart — a clean transportation nonprofit — and the California Energy Commission. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
Whether Southern California will become a hydrogen juggernaut depends partly on whether projects like Avina work. Shah said the Vernon site will meet the deadlines and qualify for the federal tax credit, and that one of his main objectives is to bring the cost of retail hydrogen fuel to parity with diesel — a "magic number" that hovers somewhere around $10 per kilogram. Current rates are roughly $20 to $30 per kilogram, he said.
"We certainly see us getting there in a relatively short amount of time," Shah said, in part because the state is continuing to invest in hydrogen, and because the wind and solar energy sources the project will depend on have been coming down in cost over time, making hydrogen a more affordable prospect.
Jack Brouwer, a professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering at UC Irvine who is not involved with the project, said it could serve as proof-of-concept for the rest of the region and country.
"They are one of the first to actually work through all the details of this to see if it can actually be cost-effective today," said Brouwer, who is also the director of UC Irvine's Clean Energy Institute.
He said Avina is wise to focus on heavy-duty trucks and freight transport because it is one of the hardest sectors to decarbonize, and because hydrogen hasn't yet really caught on with fuel cell cars or passenger vehicles that run on hydrogen, despite a statewide network of fueling stations. What's more, focusing on the transportation sector has some of the best health benefits for disadvantaged communities that live near the Port of Los Angeles and the freight corridors that traditionally spew diesel pollution.
"It's still going to be more expensive than diesel, but if they can get close, that's going to be super exciting," Brouwer said. "Because then, as the technology costs go down their regular cost curve — like sun and wind power have, like batteries have — we're going to start to find people adopting this technology."
A view of construction at the new Avina Clean Hydrogen Facility in Vernon.
A view of construction at the new Avina Clean Hydrogen Facility in Vernon. It will use large electrolyzer machines powered by 100% clean energy to split hydrogen from water. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
It remains to be seen whether Trump's wind and solar tax cuts will have a slowing effect on the hydrogen projects that depend on them. Under the Big Beautiful Bill, wind and solar projects must either begin construction by next July or be placed into service by the end of 2027 in order to receive the credit.
Brouwer said those sectors have already gotten more affordable and aren't likely to lose much momentum in California.
Avina also isn't the only hydrogen project underway in L.A. County. A Texas-based company called Element Resources is planning to build one of the largest green hydrogen plants in North America, the $1.85-billion Lancaster Clean Energy Center, slated for opening in 2027.
Meanwhile, the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power is converting its Scattergood Generating Station — the largest natural gas-fired power plant in the city — into a hydrogen-ready facility as part of its decarbonization strategy. L.A. has committed to 100% renewable energy by 2035.
The estimated $800-million project would see two of the plant's gas units replaced with units that can operate on a mixture of natural gas and at least 30% hydrogen, and is slated for completion toward the end of 2029. DWP officials said the goal is to eventually reach 100% green hydrogen as more supply becomes available and the technology evolves.
"There are specific hard-to-electrify applications where hydrogen makes sense," agency officials said in an email, "such as heavy-duty long-haul trucking and certain port operations, serving as a complement to battery technologies. Hydrogen is LADWP's best bet today toward clean, firm power generation with long-duration energy storage benefits, getting us closer to a cleaner, reliable, and fully decarbonized future in 2035."
The project is not only key to the city meeting its clean energy goals, but also ensuring a reliable source of energy during crises that strain the grid, such as heat waves or wildfires, officials said. However, the plan has drawn considerable opposition from environmental groups such as the Sierra Club and the Los Angeles Waterkeeper, who say that the mixture of hydrogen and natural gas — so-called gray hydrogen — is not aligned with L.A.'s climate goals.
"We are concerned about a lot of the unknowns that come with the Scattergood proposal," said Ben Harris, a senior staff attorney with L.A. Waterkeeper. "They rely on assumptions about hydrogen gas being available on an open market, and until then, they would be burning natural gas."
Harris referenced a recent report from researchers at the UCLA Luskin Center for Innovation that found that hydrogen power — even green hydrogen — would have a significant water-use footprint in water-stressed California, and should be implemented with caution.
Read more: California lawmakers urge Trump to spare state's hydrogen energy project
But though he would like to see the DWP deploy more alternatives to hydrogen to help meet its clean power goals, including wind and solar, Harris was tentatively more supportive of green hydrogen projects, such as the one rising in Vernon — provided it achieves what it the company says it can do.
"If it's done right, green hydrogen won't be produced through fossil fuels," Harris said. "And it could have potentially less water use than other conventional fossil fuel generation. So I think there could be a role for it."
Others in the state are more enthusiastic about hydrogen — even in the face of the fossil-fuel-favoring federal administration. In April, a bipartisan group of California lawmakers called on the Trump administration to preserve the $1.2 billion in funding for the state's hydrogen hub, noting that the project "plays a critical role in securing American energy dominance."
Brouwer, of UC Irvine, said hydrogen's role as both a transition fuel and a long-term climate solution is all but inevitable.
"I don't know how big a role, but it's going to play a role for sure, so it's a good investment," he said.
Ultimately, he added, it doesn't matter if green hydrogen projects are driven by profit, legislative mandates or some other motivation, so long as the climate benefits are achieved.
"I hope California and Los Angeles show this to the whole world — and have the whole world adopt this technology — because unless it does, we don't affect the climate, either," he said. "That's what's gotta happen."
This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
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