A revolutionary facility has been launched in Shandong that produces fresh water from seawater for just two yuan (HK$2.2) per cubic metre, generating green hydrogen as a byproduct in a breakthrough that could redefine global water and energy systems.

The world-first installation in the city of Rizhao was powered by seawater and low-grade waste heat from steel and petrochemical plants, news outlet Dazhong reported. It had operated continuously for over three weeks, producing high-purity hydrogen without the need for costly desalination or precious freshwater resources, the report said.

For every 800 tonnes of seawater processed annually, the system delivers 450 cubic metres of ultra-pure fresh water ideal for industrial cooling or residential use. It also delivers 192,000 standard cubic metres of green hydrogen and 350 tonnes of mineral-rich brine for marine chemical production - achieving a "one-in, three-out" circular economy.

The hydrogen, produced at the energy cost of 4.2 kilowatts of electricity per cubic metre, was enough to power 100 buses for 3,840km a year, the report said

The cost is remarkably low, even undercutting a seawater desalination technology powered by industrial waste heat in nearby Jinan city, which costs four yuan to produce a cubic metre of fresh water, according to a local media report from August.

For context, Beijing charges five yuan per cubic metre for residential tap water for the first 180 cubic metres in a year.

The Rizhao facility produces fresh water more cheaply than Middle Eastern countries with major desalination operations.

According to the Saudi Water Authority, which has the world's biggest desalination capacity at 11 million cubic metres a day, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates have some of the lowest desalination costs, with prices below 50 US cents a cubic metre.

In the United States, the cost of desalinated water at its largest seawater desalination facility, the Claude
"Bud" Lewis Carlsbad Desalination
Plant in California, was estimated at US$2.21 per cubic metre in a 2021 analysis.

"This is not just about producing a canister of hydrogen; it opens up a new path for 'extracting energy from the sea,” Qin Jiangguang, a senior engineer at the Laoshan Laboratory, a marine research centre in Qingdao, told the Shandong news outlet.

Hydrogen is considered the ultimate non-polluting fuel and energy-stor-age medium. It is produced through electrolysis, whereby water is split into hydrogen and oxygen using electricity.

Conventional technologies require high-purity water, especially fresh water, as poor water quality can cause the process to fail. For example, calcium and magnesium deposits in seawater can clog electrodes, while high concentrations of chloride ions can corrode electrolysis equipment and catalyst materials, according to Dazhong. But in northern coastal areas, freshwater resources are lim-ited.

To use natural seawater directly, the Shandong facility uses corrosion-resistant catalysts and technologies to regulate seawater. It also uses waste heat to produce high-quality fresh water, eliminating the need for traditional cooling units. This reduces equipment costs and energy use.

The new facility's power utilisation rate is over 20 per cent higher than that of conventional freshwater electrolysis hydrogen production units.

Li Jiawei, an assistant researcher at the Laoshan Laboratory, said the facility "validates a new paradigm for zero-carbon hydrogen energy supply that is deeply aligned with China's coastal industrial layout".

Leveraging China's extensive coastline and coastal industrial infra-structure, the project converts industrial waste heat into valuable resources, according to Dazhong. It supports the development of energy networks in coastal regions, enabling the capture of local waste heat for the on-site production of green hydrogen using seawater.

The Shandong news outlet said that for port industrial cities such as Rizhao, this was not only a powerful tool for carbon reduction but also a new engine for green transformation.

Kedah too

kedah has no plans for desalination lah

easier way is to claim penang

Singapore is very interested

Singapore is very interested

kedah has no plans for desalination lah

easier way is to claim penang

Singapore is very interested

Malaysia government still sit back do nothing cut down trees and throw all waste into river.

The muddy river in Malaysia is a major concern. It's continuous soil getting washed into the sea, it's uncontrolled environment damage. Malaysian just treat it like normal.

Singapore is very interested

Johor will be shaking, no more supply untreated water to Sinkie but still need to import treated water from Sinkie, bigger the deficit.

All same same one la.. pusing pusing technology with big lanciao terms.. also balik to electrolysis using some different energy here n there..

Johor will be shaking, no more supply untreated water to Sinkie but still need to import treated water from Sinkie, bigger the deficit.

Malaysia government still sit back do nothing cut down trees and throw all waste into river.

The muddy river in Malaysia is a major concern. It's continuous soil getting washed into the sea, it's uncontrolled environment damage. Malaysian just treat it like normal.

Yes, but the cost is very important. If they can get it cheap enough, then it becomes very interesting.

Looks like nobody here knows how to read or just plain illiterate kek

Desalination plant makes fresh water cheaper than tap - plus green hydrogen

Source: https://amp.scmp.com/news/china/science/art...-green-hydrogen

Cost per cubic metre:
China USD0.30
ME USD0.50
US USD2.21

Cost per cubic metre:
China USD0.30
ME USD0.50
US USD2.21