First for China | Estone plans to build 1GW solid-oxide electrolyser and fuel-cell factory in Hefei city
The Anhui-based materials specialist says its scientists have 'mastered' the hydrogen technology
A Chinese company specialising in the production of composite and ceramic materials has announced plans to build a 1GW solid-oxide electrolyser and fuel-cell factory in Hefei city, the capital of Anhui province, eastern China.
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However, the statement did not say when the 1GW-a-year factory — which would be the first of its kind in China — would be built.
Solid-oxide equipment uses ceramics rather than metals, which allows them to operate at higher temperatures than more traditional electrolysers and fuel cells.
SOEs use both electricity and high-temperature steam to separate water molecules into hydrogen and oxygen (or vice versa for solid-oxide fuel cells). And when using waste heat, they can produce more hydrogen per kWh of electricity than any other type of electrolyser currently on the market.
They can also split water and carbon dioxide molecules at the same time to produce hydrogen and carbon monoxide — so-called synthesis gas, or syngas, which can be then be used as a base for the production of synthetic methanol or other synthetic hydrocarbons such as jet fuel.
The website of Estone, which is based in Bengbu city, Anhui province, currently states that its “main products are advanced inorganic non-metal composite materials, which are widely used in three major fields: active safety materials for new energy power batteries, 5G communication electronic materials, and environmentally friendly fire-retardant materials”.
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