Keele scientists develop electrolyser producing hydrogen and sustainable plastic materials
Scientists at Keele University have developed an electrolyser capable of producing green hydrogen alongside chemical building blocks for sustainable plastics, potentially reducing the energy and material costs associated with conventional electrolysis.
The new technology uses renewable electricity and molecules derived from food waste to produce hydrogen and high-value precursors for sustainable plastics. The researchers say the approach could support both lower-carbon hydrogen production and efforts to reduce the use of fossil-based chemicals in plastic manufacturing.
Conventional electrolysers split water into hydrogen and oxygen using electricity. Because the two gases can form a hazardous mixture, these systems generally require a membrane to keep hydrogen and oxygen separated.
The Keele system uses a different electrochemical reaction that avoids producing oxygen, removing the need for a membrane. The researchers say this simpler configuration can operate with substantially lower electricity requirements while producing plastic precursors at industrially relevant reaction rates.
The research was led by Dr Charlie Creissen and PhD student Lewis Cousins at Keele University and was published in ACS Electrochemistry. The study examines a membrane-free electrolysis process that uses biomass-derived molecules as an alternative feedstock.
By using compounds obtained from food waste, the electrolyser can convert renewable or waste-derived materials into useful chemicals rather than relying solely on petroleum-based feedstocks.
The researchers said the process could therefore provide two products from the same electrochemical system: green hydrogen for applications across the energy system and chemical precursors that can be used to manufacture more sustainable plastics.
Hydrogen produced using renewable electricity is considered a potential tool for reducing emissions in sectors that are difficult to electrify directly. However, the cost of electricity and the complexity of conventional electrolyser systems remain barriers to wider deployment.
Membranes are among the components that can add cost and durability challenges to conventional electrolysers. By eliminating the membrane and using a reaction that does not generate oxygen, the Keele design is intended to simplify the system while reducing its electricity requirements.
The researchers believe the combination of hydrogen production and sustainable chemical manufacturing could improve the economics of electrolysis by creating additional value from the same process.
Dr Charlie Creissen, lead author of the study, said the technology represented progress towards producing plastics without fossil-based feedstocks.
“This research is a significant step towards fossil-free plastic production using renewable electricity,” Creissen said. “These membrane-free configurations can operate with lower costs and added value, enhancing access to green hydrogen and sustainable building blocks for everyday products.”
Lewis Cousins said the research demonstrated the importance of electrolyser design in improving performance and could encourage further development of sustainable electrochemical technologies.
The development builds on Keele University’s wider work on green hydrogen, including the use of renewable electricity to produce hydrogen on its campus.
The researchers said further development of the membrane-free electrolyser could open applications in green hydrogen production, waste valorisation and sustainable chemical manufacturing, although additional research will be required to establish how the technology performs at larger scales.
The combination of renewable electricity, food-waste-derived feedstocks and simultaneous production of hydrogen and plastic precursors highlights a potential route towards integrating clean energy production with the development of alternatives to petrochemical-based manufacturing.
