Electrodeionization by MEGA - the solution for hydrogen production

Green hydrogen

Green hydrogen refers to hydrogen that is produced from water by electrolysis using electricity generated exclusively from renewable sources such as solar, wind, or hydroelectric power. In this era of reducing greenhouse gas emissions and promoting the transition to sustainable energy, hydrogen is thus a potential source of renewable energy for the energy mix in the future.

Why water is important for the hydrogen production process

Just like renewable electricity, water quality is also important for green hydrogen production. It needs to be high enough to prevent damage or contamination of the electrolyzers. It must therefore first be free of impurities such as organic substances, minerals, salts, or microorganisms. The quality of water for electrolyzers is usually indicated by its conductivity value, which is ideally less than 1 µS/cm. This quality can be achieved by various water treatment technologies such as reverse osmosis (RO), ion exchange (IEX), or electrodeionisation (EDI). Water treatment is a significant item in the overall economic cost of green hydrogen production.

Why is electrodeionization (EDI) suitable for the production of ultrapure water for green hydrogen

EDI makes it possible to achieve sufficiently low electrical conductivity of water required for use in electrolyzers. It is a continuous and efficient purification process that does not require chemicals for regeneration, thereby reducing operating costs and producing less wastewater. EDI is environmentally friendly, making it a key technology to replace conventional mixed bed ion exchange, which requires chemical regeneration on or off-site.

At the same time, electrodeionization is a flexible and scalable technology that can adapt to different water quality levels and sources such as seawater, drinking water, process water, or wastewater. It is usually used after a pre-treatment and reverse osmosis process, achieving high quality as well as high water recovery (typically > 95%). This leads to less water consumption, which is particularly important in areas where this resource is limited.

Why choose MEGA EDI in the green hydrogen production process

MEGA offers green hydrogen producers a continuous electrodeionization solution for ultrapure water production. The RALEX® HPWU units with MPure™ modules are designed for industrial use (unlike many competitors' laboratory units) for high capacities.

MPure™, the advanced series of EDI modules, produces water with a very low electrical conductivity of up to 0.055 µS/cm at 25°C, or a high resistivity of up to 18.2 MΩ∙cm. These modules are designed to replace ion exchange with the mixed bed at flow rates from a few liters per hour to ten thousand liters per hour or more.

Benefits of EDI MPure™ modules - economical and reliable technology for ultrapure water

The main bonuses of our EDI modules are low capital and operating costs - low module cost and high durability, low renewal costs, low cleaning frequency, and low energy consumption. In addition, no chemicals are required for the operation, and thus they don’t produce dangerous waste, significantly increasing the profitability of the entire green hydrogen production system.

Compact and durable design with long service life, small dimensions suitable for installation in a container, or modularity and redundancy within the unit and the entire system (e.g. operation 2+1) are other benefits and reasons for purchasing our technology. A separate DC power supply for each MPure™ module enables precise process setup.