Efficient Low-temperature Hydrogen Production by Electrochemical-assisted Methanol Steam Reforming

Methanol steam reforming (MSR) provides an alternative way for efficient production and safe transportation of hydrogen but requires harsh conditions and complicated purification processes. In this work, an efficient electrochemical-assisted MSR reaction for pure H-2 production at lower temperature (similar to 140 degrees C) is developed by coupling the electrocatalysis reaction into the MSR in a polymer electrolyte membrane electrolysis reactor. By electrochemically assisted, the two critical steps including the methanol dehydrogenation and water-gas shift reaction are accelerated, which is attributed to decreasing the methanol dehydrogenation energy and promoting the dissociation of H2O to OH* by the applied potential. Furthermore, the reduced H-2 partial pressure by the hydrogen oxidation and reduction process further promotes MSR. The combination of these advantages not only efficiently decreases the MSR temperature but also achieves the high rate of hydrogen production of 505 mmol H-2 g Pt-1 h(-1) with exceptionally high H-2 selectivity (99 %) at 180 degree celsius and a low voltage (0.4 V), and the productivity is about 30-fold than that of traditional MSR. This study opens up a new avenue to design novel electrolysis cells for hydrogen production.