Enhanced recovery of activation metals for accelerated hydrogen generation from aluminum and seawater

When activated, aluminum reacts with water to generate hydrogen gas, heat, and aluminum oxyhydroxide, a non-toxic and valuable commodity. This process serves as an efficient and cost-effective means of producing and transporting both hydrogen and thermal energy. The study presented here focuses on recovering a gallium-indium eutectic utilized as a surface coating to induce aluminum’s reactivity in water. The findings indicate that the addition of very low concentrations (0.02 M) of imidazole to seawater leads to rapid reactions being completed in under 10 min, enabling the retrieval and reuse of over 90% of the relatively costly gallium-indium eutectic and producing 99% of the anticipated hydrogen output based on the aluminum’s mass. Additionally, conducting the reaction at elevated temperatures ensures the swift and complete reaction of aluminum in saltwater.