DONGSHENG is the world's most recognized precious metal recycler, with far more experience in electrolyzer recycling than its peers in its long history of industrial precious metal recycling, and setting industry standards for electrolyzer recycling prices! If you want to do a good job of electrolyzer recycling, you must provide the basis of electrolyzer recycling price for waste electrolyzer sellers.
Related electrolyzer industry solutions page: hydrogen production equipment, seawater electrolysis.
In order to enhance the awareness and professionalism of the entire industry, DONGSHENG has edited this article to contribute to the global environmental protection cause.
Alkaline Electrolyzer (Alkaline Electrolyzer) With KOH solution as electrolyte and nickel-based catalyst, it operates at a temperature of 70-90°C and a pressure of ≤30 bar, with a single-stack power of up to 20 MW (e.g. thyssenkrupp nucera). Advantages include low cost (no precious metals required), long lifetime (>60,000 hours), simple maintenance and a wide dynamic response range (10%-100%), as represented by the EcoLyzer A600 (600 Nm³/h).
PEM Electrolyzer (Proton Exchange Membrane Electrolyzer) Using Perfluorinated Sulfonic Acid (PFSA) membranes and Platinum/Iridium catalysts, the PEM Electrolyzer is designed for electrolysis with pure water, operating pressures up to 10-30 bar, with a response time of seconds, and a purity of hydrogen >99.999%. Its compact design and high efficiency (HHV efficiency 89-99%) make it particularly well suited to fluctuating power sources such as wind power, represented by the HyLYZER™ (2.2 Nm³/h) and the LightBridge LBE-P50LC (50 kW).
Solid Oxide Electrolyzer Cell (SOEC) Electrolyzes water vapor at 700-800°C, using ceramic electrolyte, with power demand of only 37.7 kWh/kg H₂, 25% higher efficiency than low-temperature electrolyzers, and can co-generate syngas and utilize industrial waste heat, but high-temperature degradation is yet to be solved. Representative projects such as Bloom Energy's 4MW system for NASA (2.4 tons of hydrogen per day).
AEM Electrolyzer (Anion Exchange Membrane Electrolyzer) Combines the advantages of alkaline tanks with PEM, using anionic membranes and non-precious metal catalysts (e.g., nickel), and operating at 60-80°C. It is 80% less expensive than PEM. It is 80% cheaper than PEM, has no perfluorinated compounds, and the latest technologies such as Ecolectro have achieved >4 A/cm² current densities and >74% efficiencies, but membrane durability still needs to be improved.
Water treatment and hydrogen production support equipment Ultrapure water (conductivity <1 μS/cm) is required, relying on reverse osmosis or deionization systems; hydrogen treatment requires compressors (e.g., SOEC pre-pressurized to 15 psig), dryers, and hydrogen storage tanks.
The industrial scenarios for different electrolyzers are determined by efficiency, cost and operating conditions:
Alkaline electrolyzer is suitable for large-scale chemical plants (e.g. ammonia synthesis plants, oil refineries) requiring continuous and stable hydrogen supply, typical examples are Sinopec Hydrocarbon Steam Reformer.
PEM electrolyzers are mainly used for renewable energy hydrogen production (e.g. wind/photovoltaic coupling projects) and hydrogen refueling stations due to their fast response and small size, a typical example being ITM Power's 100MW Rhineland project.
The SOEC electrolyzer is suitable for high temperature industrial scenarios (e.g. steel mills, nuclear power plants), with typical examples being the Shell refinery decarbonization project.
AEM electrolyzer Prioritized for distributed hydrogen production scenarios (community energy supply, small plants) due to its low cost advantage, e.g. Ecolectro's utility pilot.
Electrolyzer recycling focuses on high-value materials and environmentally friendly disposal:
PEM electrolyzer Titanium bipolar plates (recovered at $3-10/kg) and platinum/iridium catalysts (>$6,000/kg) are the highest value, but perfluorosulfonic acid (PFAS) membranes require high-temperature pyrolysis treatment.
Alkaline / AEM electrolyzer Recovery of nickel electrodes ($2.5-6.8/kg) and stainless steel structural components, with AEM being the simplest process due to the absence of precious metals and perfluorinated compounds.
The ceramic electrolytes (e.g. yttrium stabilized zirconia) and nickel-based fuel electrodes of SOEC electrolyzer need to be professionally recycled, but the cost of recycling ceramics after crushing is high.
The recovered metals can be remelted for use in new equipment, the catalyst is regenerated by chemical extraction, and the plastic parts are incinerated to generate electricity for energy utilization.
Alkaline electrolyzer is preferred for large-scale industrial bases in pursuit of low cost and stability;
PEM is suitable for renewable energy hydrogen production when fast response and high purity hydrogen are required;
Steel mills or nuclear power plants with waste heat resources can leverage SOEC to increase efficiency by 25%;
AEM is suitable for small- and medium-scaled distributed scenarios (e.g., community power supply) in order to realize the advantages of cost and environmental protection.
Future technological breakthroughs will depend on material innovations (e.g. AEM non-precious metal catalysts) and the maturity of recycling technology, while the optimization of energy consumption in the supporting system (e.g. SOEC waste heat utilization) will be the key to cost reduction.
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