

FOLLOWUS
School of New Energy, North China Electric Power University, Beijing 102206, China
School of Engineering, China University of Petroleum-Beijing at Karamay, Karamay 834000, China
Corresponding authors. E-mail addresses: 15738780841@163.com (Y. Xie)
qinwu@ncepu.edu.cn(W. Qin).
Received:20 June 2025,
Revised:2025-08-15,
Accepted:16 September 2025,
Online First:25 November 2025,
Published:2026-02
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Xie Yufei, Qin Wu, Xiao Xianbin, et al. Integrated scrubber for enhanced purity of alkaline electrolyzed water system[J]. Chinese Journal of Chemical Engineering, 2026, 90(2): 45-58.
This study addresses gas entrainment challenges in alkaline water electrolysis (ALK) hydrogen production through an integrated scrubbing-purification solution and establishes a thermodynamic-electrochemical multi-physics coupled model to optimize system performance. A complete hydrogen production system model with a hydrogen production capacity of 2.5 m
3
·h
-1
was established
focusing on the synergistic effect of key parameters such as current density (0.1—0.4 A·cm
-2
)
operating pressure (0.7—0.9 MPa) and electrolysis temperature (40—80℃) on system performance. The study shows that compared with the traditional system
the system coupled with the scrubbing and purification device can increase the hydrogen purity from 94.5% to more than 99.5%
meeting the industrial storage and transportation standards. Parametric analysis reveals that elevated temperatures enhance water conversion efficiency but inversely affect purity
while increased pressure improves purity linearly. A critical current density equilibrium point was identified
below which the integrated system outperforms traditional setups in efficiency. The Aspen plus model proves that the efficiency difference between the integrated system and the traditional system is only at the order of 10
-5
. This work resolves the efficiency-purity trade-off in ALK systems
offering a viable pathway for industrial-scale high-purity hydrogen production. Future studies should integrate techno-economic assessments to advance scalable
sustainable electrolysis technologies.
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