Solar thermochemical splitting of water to generate hydrogen
Solar photochemical means of splitting water (artificial photosynthesis) to generate hydrogen is emerging as a viable process. The solar thermochemical route also promises to be an attractive means of achieving this objective. In this paper we present different types of thermochemical cycles that on...
Saved in:
Published in | Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences - PNAS Vol. 114; no. 51; pp. 13385 - 13393 |
---|---|
Main Authors | , |
Format | Journal Article |
Language | English |
Published |
United States
National Academy of Sciences
19.12.2017
|
Subjects | |
Online Access | Get full text |
Cover
Loading…
Summary: | Solar photochemical means of splitting water (artificial photosynthesis) to generate hydrogen is emerging as a viable process. The solar thermochemical route also promises to be an attractive means of achieving this objective. In this paper we present different types of thermochemical cycles that one can use for the purpose. These include the low-temperature multistep process as well as the high-temperature two-step process. It is noteworthy that the multistep process based on the Mn(II)/Mn(III) oxide system can be carried out at 700 °C or 750 °C. The two-step process has been achieved at 1,300 °C/900 °C by using yttrium-based rare earth manganites. It seems possible to render this high-temperature process as an isothermal process. Thermodynamics and kinetics of H2O splitting are largely controlled by the inherent redox properties of the materials. Interestingly, under the conditions of H₂O splitting in the high-temperature process CO₂ can also be decomposed to CO, providing a feasible method for generating the industrially important syngas (CO+H₂). Although carbonate formation can be addressed as a hurdle during CO₂ splitting, the problem can be avoided by a suitable choice of experimental conditions. The choice of the solar reactor holds the key for the commercialization of thermochemical fuel production. |
---|---|
Bibliography: | ObjectType-Article-1 SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1 ObjectType-Feature-2 content type line 23 Edited by Michael L. Klein, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA, and approved March 16, 2017 (received for review January 4, 2017) Author contributions: C.N.R.R. designed research; S.D. performed research; C.N.R.R. and S.D. analyzed data; and C.N.R.R. and S.D. wrote the paper. |
ISSN: | 0027-8424 1091-6490 |
DOI: | 10.1073/pnas.1700104114 |