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WO-2026096006-A2 - ELECTRICAL SYSTEMS FOR GENERATING HYDROGEN GAS AND METHODS FOR THE USE THEREOF

WO2026096006A2WO 2026096006 A2WO2026096006 A2WO 2026096006A2WO-2026096006-A2

Abstract

The present disclosure related to an electrochemical system and a method of generation of hydrogen gas, wherein the electrochemical system comprises a modular anode that includes a carbon containing material having a high capacitance and specific surface area. Benefits of the electrochemical systems and methods disclosed herein can include electrochemical generation of hydrogen gas with reduced energy consumption, elimination of oxygen production, and deionization or dechlorination of water.

Inventors

  • NESBITT, CARL C.

Assignees

  • RETICLE, INC.

Dates

Publication Date
20260507
Application Date
20250701
Priority Date
20240702

Claims (15)

  1. 1. An electrochemical system comprising: an electrical device, wherein the electrical device includes a modular anode electrically connected to a cathode and a power source, wherein the modular anode and the cathode are in contact with a hydrogen generation solution or a regeneration solution, wherein the modular anode includes a carbon containing material bound to a conductive support, wherein the carbon containing material has a specific surface area of from about 250 m 2 /g to about 3,000 m 2 /g.
  2. 2. The electrochemical system of claim 1, wherein the carbon containing material includes carbon nanotubes, fullerenes, graphene, an activated carbon material, or a combination thereof; or wherein from about 80% to 100% of a weight of the carbon containing material includes carbon nanotubes, fullerenes, graphene, an activated carbon material, or a combination thereof, based on a total weight of the carbon containing material; or wherein the carbon containing material includes a carbon containing panel bound to the conductive support by a conductive adhesive; or wherein the carbon containing material has a specific capacitance measuring from about 10 F/g to about 80 F/g when measured by cyclic voltammetry; or wherein the carbon containing material has a specific capacitance measuring from about 50 F/g to about 60 F/g when measured by cyclic voltammetry.
  3. 3. The electrochemical system of claim 1, wherein the carbon containing material has a specific surface area of from about 250 m 2 /g to about 2,500 m 2 /g, or the carbon containing material has a specific surface area of from about 250 m 2 /g to about 2,000 m 2 /g, or the carbon containing material has a specific surface area of from about 500 m 2 /g to about 2,500 m 2 /g, or the carbon containing material has a specific surface area of from about 500 m 2 /g to about 2,000 m 2 /g.
  4. 4. The electrochemical system of claim 1, wherein the carbon containing material includes a carbon containing panel bound to the conductive support by a conductive adhesive, and wherein the modular anode includes from 1 to 100 modular anodes, and from about 30% to 100% of the modular anodes, based on a total amount of modular anodes, include the carbon containing panel, and Childs Patent Law PLLC Attorney Docket No. : ReticleHgPCT wherein the carbon containing panel has a panel longest dimension of from about 10.0 cm to about 20.0 cm and a panel shortest dimension of from about 0.64 cm to about 1.27 cm; or wherein the carbon containing panel has a rectangular shape, having a panel height, panel width, or combination thereof of from about 10.0 cm to about 20.0 cm, and a panel thickness of from about 0.64 cm to about 1.27 cm; or wherein the carbon containing panel has a panel longest dimension of from about 305.0 cm to about 3,050.0 cm and a panel shortest dimension of from about 19.0 cm to about 190.0 cm; or wherein the carbon containing panel has a rectangular shape having a panel height, a panel width, or combination thereof of from about 305.0 cm to about 3,050.0 cm and a panel thickness of from about 19.0 cm to about 190.0 cm.
  5. 5. The electrochemical system of claim 1, wherein the cathode includes a platinum alloy or a platinum alloy; or wherein the conductive support includes titanium, aluminum, nickel, a stainless steel, an iron-chrome alloy, or alloys thereof; or wherein the conductive adhesive includes conductive particles suspended in an epoxy, wherein the conductive particles include a metal particle, a carbon particle, or a combination or mixture and the thereof; wherein the electrochemical system includes a liquid container that contains the hydrogen generation solution or the regeneration solution without a solid barrier, a gel barrier, or a membrane barrier located between the modular anode and the cathode.
  6. 6. The electrochemical system of claim 1, wherein the hydrogen generation solution includes water, or water and NaCl; or wherein the hydrogen generation solution includes water and Cl’; or wherein the regeneration solution includes water and FeSCh, Fe2(SO4)3, SnSCh, SnSCh, As, AS2(SO4)S, SeCh, SeCh, or combinations or mixtures thereof; or wherein the regeneration solution includes water and Fe +2 , Fe +3 , Sn +2 , Sn +3 , As, As +2 , Se +2 , Se +3 , or combinations or mixtures thereof.
  7. 7. A method of generating a hydrogen gas comprising: providing an electrochemical system that includes an electrical device, wherein the electrical device includes a modular anode electrically connected to a cathode and a power Childs Patent Law PLLC Attorney Docket No. : ReticleHgPCT source, wherein the modular anode and the cathode are in contact with a hydrogen generation solution or a regeneration solution, wherein the modular anode includes a carbon containing material bound to a conductive support, wherein the carbon containing material has a specific surface area of from about 250 m 2 /g to about 3,000 m 2 /g; generating the hydrogen gas at the cathode by contacting the modular anode and the cathode with a hydrogen generation solution and applying a constant DC potential of about 0.5 V to about 3.0 V across the modular anode and the cathode until the measured current between the modular anode and the cathode increases to a hydrogen generation peak current and then passes from the hydrogen generation peak current to a constant current threshold; and regenerating a capacitance of the carbon containing material by reducing a DC potential between the anode and cathode to 0.0 V and by reacting the carbon containing material with a regeneration solution, or reducing a capacitance of the carbon containing material by reacting the modular anode with a regeneration solution.
  8. 8. The method of claim 7, further comprising, before regenerating a capacitance of the carbon containing material or before reducing a capacitance of the carbon containing material, providing a regeneration solution by adding a reducing agent to an aqueous solution, wherein the aqueous solution is the hydrogen generation solution or a pre-regeneration aqueous solution.
  9. 9. The method of claim 8, wherein the reducing agent is FeSCh, SnSCh, As, SeCh, Fe +2 , Sn +2 , Se +2 , or combinations or mixtures thereof.
  10. 10. The method of claim 9, further comprising, forming Fe +3 , Sn +3 , As +2 , Se +3 , or a combination or mixture thereof, by reacting the reducing agent with the modular anode.
  11. 11. The method of claim 7, wherein the constant DC potential varies by from 0.0 to 0.2 V while hydrogen is generated from the cathode; or wherein the hydrogen generation peak current is from about 1.0 A to about 150.0 A or more; or the constant current threshold is from 0.0 to about 20.0 A and varies by from 0.1% to about 5% based on the measured current; or wherein reducing the DC potential between the anode and cathode to 0.0 V includes disconnecting the DC voltage supply from the modular anode, the cathode, or a combination thereof. Childs Patent Law PLLC Attorney Docket No. : ReticleHgPCT
  12. 12. The method of claim 7, further comprising, forming a dechlorinated solution from the hydrogen generation solution by sequestering Cl’ onto or near the modular anode while applying the DC voltage of about 0.5 V to about 3.0 V across the modular anode and the cathode, wherein a 1 L sample of the dechlorinated solution has a lower Cl’ concentration than a 1 L sample of the hydrogeneration solution.
  13. 13. The method of claim 12, wherein a dechlorinated solution Cl’ concentration is from about 10% to 99% lower than a hydrogen generation solution Cl’ concentration.
  14. 14. The method of claim 13, further comprising, before regenerating a capacitance of the carbon containing material or before reducing a capacitance of the carbon containing material, removing the hydrogen generation solution or the dechlorinated solution from the electrochemical system; or separating the dechlorinated solution from the hydrogen generation solution or the regeneration solution.
  15. 15. The method of claim 7, further comprising, harvesting the hydrogen gas from the electrochemical system, or harvesting the hydrogen gas from the electrochemical system at a rate of about 1 kg/day to about 20 kg/day per cell.

Description

Childs Patent Law PLLC Attorney Docket No. : ReticleHgPCT ELECTRICAL SYSTEMS FOR GENERATING HYDROGEN GAS AND METHODS FOR THE USE THEREOF CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS [0001] This Application claims priority to U.S. Provisional 63/667,035, filed on July 2, 2024, the entirety of which is incorporated by reference. TECHNICAL FIELD [0002] The present disclosure generally relates to the fields of electrochemistry, hydrogen gas generation, water reclamation, and green technology. In particular, the present disclosure provides highly scalable electrochemical systems for generating hydrogen gas from water and methods for using the same. In some embodiments, present disclosure also provides the ability to generate hydrogen gas while dechlorinating water. BACKGROUND [0003] As the earth’s population grows, modem technology struggles to find a way to accommodate two seemingly impossible dreams: providing enough power for an ever-expanding population while providing clean energy to reduce or reverse global warming. Hydrogen gas seems to hold the key to providing clean power because hydrogen gas can be combusted or used in fuel cells to provide clean energy with water as the only product. However, hydrogen gas technology suffers from many challenges, including that providing clean hydrogen gas often consumes more power than it provides. Also, the high cost of providing clean hydrogen gas often makes hydrogen gas production unscalable and unprofitable. But what if there was a scalable way to generate hydrogen gas with low power consumption? What if there was a way to produce pure hydrogen gas while reclaiming undrinkable water? [0004] One of the conventional methods for producing hydrogen gas is through an electrochemical process. In a typical electrochemical process, cathodes are the sites where hydrogen ions are reduced to form hydrogen gas as shown in the chemical reaction below: 2H+ + 2e'— >H2(g) Similarly, in a standard electrolyzer, water is oxidized to oxygen gas at the anode electrode as shown in the chemical reaction below: 2H2O — >4H++ O2(g)+4e- Childs Patent Law PLLC Attorney Docket No. : ReticleHgPCT The overall balanced reaction of the electrolysis of water to form hydrogen and oxygen is schematically represented below: 2H2O — >2H2(g)+ O2(g) [0005] Therefore, the conventional electrochemical production of hydrogen gas, water is consumed, and oxygen gas is produced as a byproduct that must be removed from the product gases to obtain pure hydrogen gas. [0006] There is a need for electrochemical systems and methods of generation of hydrogen gas that are scalable and reduce power consumption. There is a need for electrochemical systems and methods of generation of hydrogen gas that avoid or reduce the requirement of separating oxygen gas from the hydrogen gas produced. There is a need for electrochemical systems and methods of generation of hydrogen gas that can be made more efficient in terms of lower operating costs and using water sources other than clean or highly refined water. SUMMARY [0007] The present disclosure provides electrochemical systems. In some embodiments, the electrochemical system comprises an electrical device, wherein the electrical device includes a modular anode electrically connected to a cathode and a power source, wherein the modular anode and the cathode are in contact with a hydrogen generation solution or a regeneration solution, wherein the modular anode includes a carbon containing material bound to a conductive support, wherein the carbon containing material has a specific surface area of from about 250 m2/g to about 3,000 m2/g. [0008] In some embodiments, the carbon containing material includes carbon nanotubes, fullerenes, graphene, an activated carbon material, or a combination thereof. In some embodiments, from about 80% to about 100% of a weight of the carbon containing material includes carbon nanotubes, fullerenes, graphene, an activated carbon material, or a combination thereof, based on a total weight of the carbon containing material. In some embodiments, the carbon containing material includes a carbon containing panel bound to the conductive support by a conductive adhesive. In some embodiments, the carbon containing material has a specific capacitance measuring from about 10 F/g to about 80 F/g when measured by cyclic voltammetry. In some embodiments, the carbon containing material has a specific capacitance measuring from about 50 F/g to about 60 F/g when measured by cyclic voltammetry. In some embodiments, the carbon containing material has a specific surface area of from about 250 m2/g to about 2,500 m2/g. In some embodiments, the carbon containing material has a specific surface area of from about 250 m2/g to about 2,000 m2/g. In some embodiments, the carbon containing material has a Childs Patent Law PLLC Attorney Docket No. : ReticleHgPCT specific surface area of from about 500m2/g to about 2,500 m2/g. In some embodiments, the carbon containing mat