Electrochemical generation of hydrogen using industrial ammonia water and recycled graphite electrodes

Authors

  • Damaris Margarita Puente Siller Altos Hornos de México S. A. B. de C. V., Campos Elíseos 29, 7o. Piso Col. Rincón del Bosque C.P. 11580 Miguel Hidalgo México, Ciudad de México, México. https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5131-5190
  • José Manuel González de la Cruz Universidad Autónoma de Coahuila, Blvd. Venustiano Carranza S/N, República Oriente, 25280 Saltillo, Coahuila, México. https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3805-8964
  • Ivan Omar Acuña Gutierrez Altos Hornos de México S. A. B. de C. V., Campos Elíseos 29, 7o. Piso Col. Rincón del Bosque C.P. 11580 Miguel Hidalgo México, Ciudad de México, México. https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5992-9840
  • José de Jesús Vega Valdés Universidad Autónoma de Coahuila, Blvd. Venustiano Carranza S/N, República Oriente, 25280 Saltillo, Coahuila, México. https://orcid.org/0009-0008-2920-7511
  • Juan Antonio López Corpus Altos Hornos de México S. A. B. de C. V., Campos Elíseos 29, 7o. Piso Col. Rincón del Bosque C.P. 11580 Miguel Hidalgo México, Ciudad de México, México.
  • Alberto Perea Garduño Altos Hornos de México S. A. B. de C. V., Campos Elíseos 29, 7o. Piso Col. Rincón del Bosque C.P. 11580 Miguel Hidalgo México, Ciudad de México, México.

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.37636/recit.v7n4e304

Keywords:

Electrolysis, Hydrogen, Ammonia solutions

Abstract

The pursuit of fuels that do not emit greenhouse gases has made the use of hydrogen in the steel industry increasingly necessary. This study represents an ecological commitment, wherein both researchers and the company aim to generate hydrogen for use in the steel production process. An acrylic cell, ammoniacal solution, and power source were used in the experimental setup, which consists of three parts: first, the evaluation of hydrogen generation by varying the applied voltage and electrolysis duration; second, the replacement of ammoniacal water with a synthetic ammonia solution to understand system behaviour and minimize the effects of solution components unrelated to ammonia; and third, the substitution of graphite electrodes with steel electrodes to assess their impact on the electrolytic process. Hydrogen quantification was carried out indirectly using a Venturi tube, which captured the generated gases, and through a copper sulphate solution (producing precipitates) to stoichiometrically determine the mass of produced hydrogen. The results of evaluating time, current density, and solution concentration defined an optimal electrolysis time of 30 minutes, a current density of 100 A/m², and indicated that the initial ammonia concentration in the solutions influences the results. The best results corresponded to 1.130 g of H₂ in a solution with an initial concentration of 2.6 g/l NH₃. In conclusion, this study determined optimal processing conditions, established the effect of initial ammonia concentration on the electrochemical generation of hydrogen, observed a decrease in ammonia concentration across all solutions, and successfully calculated the generated gas mass through indirect hydrogen quantification.

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Author Biographies

José Manuel González de la Cruz, Universidad Autónoma de Coahuila, Blvd. Venustiano Carranza S/N, República Oriente, 25280 Saltillo, Coahuila, México.

Researcher-Professor

Metallurgy Faculty

Ivan Omar Acuña Gutierrez, Altos Hornos de México S. A. B. de C. V., Campos Elíseos 29, 7o. Piso Col. Rincón del Bosque C.P. 11580 Miguel Hidalgo México, Ciudad de México, México.

Investigador - Especialista, Investigación y Desarrollo

José de Jesús Vega Valdés, Universidad Autónoma de Coahuila, Blvd. Venustiano Carranza S/N, República Oriente, 25280 Saltillo, Coahuila, México.

Estudiante

Juan Antonio López Corpus, Altos Hornos de México S. A. B. de C. V., Campos Elíseos 29, 7o. Piso Col. Rincón del Bosque C.P. 11580 Miguel Hidalgo México, Ciudad de México, México.

Gerente - Investigación y Desarrollo

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Flow chart of the experimental process.

Published

2024-12-04

How to Cite

Puente Siller, D. M., González de la Cruz, J. M., Acuña Gutierrez, I. O., Vega Valdés, J. de J., López Corpus, J. A., & Perea Garduño, A. (2024). Electrochemical generation of hydrogen using industrial ammonia water and recycled graphite electrodes. Revista De Ciencias Tecnológicas, 7(4), 1–21. https://doi.org/10.37636/recit.v7n4e304

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