An enhanced exergoenvironmental assessment of an integrated hydrogen generating system

This study concerns a novel integrated three-compartment electrochemical reactor, developed in a lab environment. The reactor uses an electrolytic cation exchange method to capture considerable quantities of carbon dioxide from ocean water, in the forms of bicarbonate and carbonate, while concurrently producing hydrogen gas and capturing carbon dioxide for potential hydrocarbon synthesis. This study focuses on the performance and environmental impact of a novel E-CEM reactor system (Electrochemical Continuous Electrodeionization) under varying operational conditions such as such as energy and exergy efficiencies, exergy destruction rates, the exergoenvironmental factor, energetic destruction ratio, energetic sustainability index, entropy generation ratio, entropic environmental factor, sustainability, and irreversibility under different temperatures between 10°C to 90°C and pressures between 100 kPa to 1000 kPa. Thermodynamic assessments using the Engineering Equation Solver offer quantitative evaluations of system performance, while exergoenvironmental analysis provides an advanced approach that combines exergy analysis with environmental impact assessment to evaluate both the performance and environmental sustainability of energy systems. Exergy destruction ratio value of the reactor is 0.9 at 100 kPa and rises to 1.3 at 1000 kPa, showing increased exergy destruction, particularly at higher pressures. The E-CEM reactor achieves energy and exergy efficiencies of 7% and 9%, respectively. • This study focuses on the performance and environmental impact of a novel E-CEM reactor system (Electrochemical Continuous Electrodeionization) under varying operational conditions such as such as energy and exergy efficiencies, exergy destruction rates, the exergoenvironmental factor, energetic destruction ratio, energetic sustainability index, entropy generation ratio, entropic environmental factor, sustainability, and irreversibility under different temperatures between 10°C to 90°C and pressures between 100 kPa to 1000 kPa. • The system is tested, modeled, and analyzed in depth by using EES. • Exergy destruction ratio value of the reactor is 0.9 at 100 kPa and rises to 1.3 at 1000 kPa, showing increased exergy destruction.