Study of the Combined Effect of the Electrolyte and Ultrasound on Hydrogen Production in a Proton Exchange Membrane Electrolysis Cell

ABSTRACT The proton exchange membrane electrolysis cell (PEMEC) is a practical approach for sustainable hydrogen production. To date, several studies have aimed to improve hydrogen production efficiency. This work examined the impact of electrolyte type and ultrasonics on hydrogen generation under static mode using a PEMEC. Therefore, the effects of three electrolytes (water, sulfuric acid, and phosphoric acid) were studied. The influence of electrolysis time, voltage, electrolyte concentration, and current intensity was optimized. Using the optimized parameters, the sono‐electrochemical process under indirect sonolysis was explored to improve the enhancement of hydrogen production efficiency. The results showed that electrolysis time and voltage significantly affect hydrogen generation in the PEMEC. Hydrogen production was highest with sulfuric acid at a concentration of 0.15 M, and a more concentrated solution negatively affected the mass transfer. Ultrasonic‐assisted electrochemistry also helped reduce electrolysis time from 30 to 10 min while increasing hydrogen efficiency. When using sulfuric acid 0.15 M, low electrolysis time (10 min), a current intensity of 55.0 mA, and a potential of 1.9 V, the maximum hydrogen efficiency was 92.9%. On the other hand, these parameters combined with the ultrasound effect allow reaching the maximum hydrogen efficiency of 99.9% at only 10 min of electrolysis. At the same time, the energy efficiency under sono‐electrolysis was increased from 24.2% to 32.8%. Our findings highlight the potential of the sono‐electrochemical process with PEMEC as a promising, efficient, and low‐time method for green hydrogen production compared to traditional hydrogen production methods.