Relying on the laboratory innovation platform and resource advantages, Aihytech explores the market-oriented mode of scientific and technological achievements.-Amoy Island Hydrogen（Xiamen）Technology Co., Ltd.

Relying on the laboratory innovation platform and resource advantages, Aihytech explores the market-oriented mode of scientific and technological achievements.

Release time:

2024-05-30

In the research and development laboratory of PEM electrolysis water hydrogen production project, many test instruments are screened efficiently.

Inside the container-sized equipment, pure water storage tanks are providing water sources. The stacked electrolyzers continuously generate hydrogen and enter the hydrogen supply equipment along the connected pipelines, just like a busy small factory. This is a high-performance megawatt proton exchange membrane (hereinafter referred to as "PEM") electrolytic water hydrogen production equipment independently developed by Amoy Island Hydrogen Technology (hereinafter referred to as "Aihytech"), an incubation enterprise of Tan Kah Kee Innovation Laboratory. It was selected as the first (set) major technical equipment in the national energy field in 2023.

In April last year, the Tan Kah Kee Innovation Laboratory officially released this new product, which is easy to install, easy to move, simple to operate, and low in cost... It allows hydrogen as an energy source to no longer be limited to the traditional centralized large-scale production of plants, and also allows PEM electrolysis of water to achieve large-scale commercialization in China. "This year, we expect to deliver 20 MW of hydrogen production equipment, with a significant increase in revenue for the whole year." Tao Huabing, head of PEM Electrolytic Water Hydrogen Production Project at Tan Kah Kee Innovation Laboratory and chairman of Aihytech, said.

Full chain R & D

Achieve self-sufficiency in critical materials

In the PEM Electrolytic Water Hydrogen Production Project Research and Development Laboratory in Building 4 of Tan Kah Kee Innovation Laboratory, more than a dozen testing instruments are operating at the same time to carry out screening efficiently and quickly. "We are the first project team to settle in the electrolytic water hydrogen production platform. When we first arrived, the whole floor was still empty." Tao Huabing recalled that he was still impressed when he joined Tan Kah Kee Innovation Laboratory 4 years ago.

Since his graduate years, Tao Huabing has focused on the field of hydrogen production by electrolysis of water, focusing on anode kinetics and catalyst materials. "Very early on the idea of industrialization." He said. In 2020, Tao Huabing returned from Singapore and brought several engineers to Tan Kah Kee Lab. He plunged into the research in the field of electrochemical materials and spent more than 2 years focusing on the most critical membrane electrode in PEM water electrolysis hydrogen production equipment.

"PEM hydrogen production equipment has not been able to be commercially produced on a large scale in the past, mainly because the catalyst on the membrane electrode relies on precious metal materials such as iridium, which is expensive, has low utilization rate and short life." Tao Hua Bing said. After finding the core technical difficulties, he led more than 50 experimenters to do nearly a thousand tests before and after, and finally prepared a catalyst that met the conditions, reducing the amount of iridium on the membrane electrode material by 70%. At the same time, the effective utilization rate of iridium, hydrogen production efficiency and equipment life of PEM electrolyzed water equipment did not decrease but increased, thus truly solving the key problem of PEM electrolyzed water technology going to the market, it also provides technical support for the transformation of the team to the enterprise.

In April 2022, with the support of Tan Kah Kee Innovation Laboratory, Aihytech was established. Tao Huabing's team has also developed from a project research and development team of five or six people to a new enterprise with more than 50 employees. Relying on the technical capability and key product indicators exceeding the domestic and international average level, Tao Huabing's team has opened up the whole chain research and development of PEM electrolytic water hydrogen production equipment to realize self-sufficiency in key materials.

The hydrogen energy team members of Tan Kah Kee Innovation Laboratory conducted the material performance test of PEM electrolytic water devices.

Seize the new trackDrive the industrial chain to form a cluster effect

The PEM water electrolysis hydrogen production project has changed from a blueprint to a scientific research result, and then to the market. This "long-distance race" has spanned 10 years. For Tao Hubing, who has been studying technology for a long time and moving from universities to enterprises, a new starting line has appeared in front of him.

It is said that "entrepreneurship is a close escape". In addition to continuing to make new breakthroughs in technology, Tao Huabing and his team now have to truly transform technology into productivity. "There is still a long way to go from scientific research results to market application. What we are doing is to continuously narrow this distance." Tao Huabing said. In order to change from a researcher to an entrepreneur more quickly, he developed the habit of reading a book a week and actively learned the knowledge and methods of enterprise production and operation. Aihytech is also further exploring the market-oriented model of scientific and technological achievements, and establishing a bridge for win-win cooperation with industry leading enterprises and social capital.

With the promotion of the national "double carbon" goal strategy, hydrogen energy manufacturing and utilization is considered to be the key technology of the future energy revolution. Tan Kah Kee Innovation Laboratory focuses on the layout of multi-route electrolytic water hydrogen production technology and industrialization work for the development needs of national strategy and new energy industry. Relying on the laboratory innovation platform and resource advantages, Tao Huabing's team has obtained support from research and development resources to instruments and equipment, from talent support to industrial resources. At present, the construction of the hydrogen production equipment production base of Aihytech in Xiamen is stepping up, driving the upstream and downstream industrial chains of hydrogen energy to form a clustering effect. A "1000 MW membrane electrode production line" will be completed in September this year.

"We hope that through our efforts, we will promote the rapid reduction of the cost of hydrogen production from electrolyzers and renewable energy sources, become a global leader in the field of proton membrane electrolyzed water, and promote China to occupy an international leading position in the field of hydrogen production from volatile renewable energy sources." Tao Huabing and his team are seizing the opportunity and deepening the layout of the "new blue ocean" of electrolytic water to produce hydrogen.

(Source: Xiamen Daily · Chaoqian Intelligence Media)