Sulfuric acid-iodine process

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The sulfuric acid-iodine process is a thermochemical process for the production of hydrogen . It consists of three chemical reactions , the educt of which is water and the products of which are hydrogen and oxygen .

2 H 2 SO 4 → 2 SO 2 + 2 H 2 O + O 2 (830 ° C)
I 2 + SO 2 + 2 H 2 O → 2 HI + H 2 SO 4 (120 ° C)
2 HI → I 2 + H 2 (320 ° C)

The sulfur and iodine compounds can be reused, so the process is called cyclic . This process is endothermic and must be carried out at high temperatures, so energy must be supplied in the form of heat .

research

The Japan Atomic Energy Research Institute successfully conducted experiments on the sulfuric acid-iodine process using Generation IV high-temperature nuclear reactors . Large-scale automatic systems for hydrogen production are being planned. The French CEA and the American Oak Ridge National Laboratory are also conducting research on the sulfur-iodine process.

Hydrogen economy

The sulfuric acid-iodine process has been proposed as a hydrogen production method for the hydrogen economy. With an efficiency of 50%, it is more effective than electrolysis (based on the primary energy input with conversion losses in thermal power plants) and does not require any hydrocarbons like the currently used method of steam reforming . Much research is needed before the sulfuric acid-iodine process can be used as a reliable source of hydrogen. The first generation IV reactors are forecast for around 2030.

See also

Hydrogen production