The potential of PEM fuel cell for a new drinking water source

Abstract

The worldwide water scarcity, especially in the developing countries and arid regions, forces people to rely on unsafe sources of drinking water. There is a pressing need for these regions to develop decentralized, small-scale water utilities. However, more than 50% of the total operating costs associated with such small-scale, water-utility operations are the cost of providing electricity to run water pumps. We think that advances in a variety of renewable and sustainable energy technologies offer considerable promise for reducing the energy required for the production and distribution of water by small-scale water utilities. This paper provides a comprehensive review of the potential for using proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cells to provide an alternative supply of drinking water. This system can eliminate the excessive energy requirements that are currently associated with water production. Such alternative water production processes are designed to increase the production rate of drinking water by reducing the amount of water required to humidify the reactant gases during stable cell performance. The principal operational components of PEM fuel cells are reviewed and evaluated, including air stoichiometry, pressure, and cell temperature. Hydrogen-fed fuel cell systems provide sufficient water to meet the potable water needs of a typical household. Furthermore, it is concluded that PEM fuel cells have great promise for decentralized, small-scale, water-production applications, because they are capable of generating sufficient quantities of potable water by operating at maximum power and by increasing the number of polymer membranes. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.