[ materials ]
Iridium . Photo by D . Nishio-Hamane
Clean hydrogen has an iridium problem
Proton exchange membrane ( PEM ) electrolyzers can produce hydrogen from water and renewable electricity . They also typically rely on one of the rarest materials on earth to function : iridium . To scale this technology to meet rising demand for clean energy , the hydrogen community must develop solutions to address this scarcity problem .
By Katherine Rinaldi , Director of Government Affairs , H2U Technologies
Over 60 million years ago , a giant asteroid collided with our planet and wiped out most life on Earth . Fast forward to today and the material from that extraterrestrial impact still accounts for most of the mineable iridium on the planet . And it also illustrates why the current reliance on iridium in rapidly growing technology markets may become problematic . There ’ s only a limited supply . . . unless there ’ s another catastrophe ! 1
Pivotal role of PEM electrolyzers
Recently , hydrogen has emerged as a promising carbon-free fuel capable of cleaning up difficultto-decarbonize sectors of the economy , including long-haul transport , aviation , steelmaking , and grid-scale electricity storage . However , one of the key technologies for hydrogen production , electrolyzers , currently relies on iridium . Within a proton exchange membrane ( PEM ) electrolyzer , iridium acts as a catalyst that drives a chemical reaction
34 Hydrogen Tech World | Issue 6 | October 2022