Tanya Weaver Thu 9 Oct 2025
Collected at: https://eandt.theiet.org/2025/10/09/seawater-be-converted-hydrogen-fuel-power-ships-zero-emission-process
With £1.44m in UK government backing, a new project will turn seawater into hydrogen fuel to power ships, ferries and fishing boats.
Researchers at Brunel University and London-based hydrogen start-up firm Genuine H2 are to embark on a project to create Britain’s first all-in-one hydrogen maritime demonstrator.
The device will split seawater into hydrogen, then store it safely on board ships at room temperature, without the need for pressurised tanks. The vessel will then burn the hydrogen to power the engines emitting only steam. This water can then be reused or safely poured back into the sea.
Professor Xinyan Wang at Brunel University’s Centre for Advanced Powertrain and Fuels, said: “Water will be turned into power. We take seawater, split it using renewable electricity to make hydrogen gas, store it onboard as a molecular solid, then burn it in an engine instead of diesel, with no CO₂.”
The project – named GH2DEM: Clean Maritime Propulsion via Direct Seawater Electrolysis and Ambient Hydrogen Storage – is backed by money from the Department for Transport’s UK SHORE initiative and Innovate UK, which is part of a larger £30m project to decarbonise British shipping and sea travel.
The goal of GH2DEM is to demonstrate the world’s first fully integrated hydrogen power system for small to medium-sized commercial vessels using seawater as the source fuel.
The new hydrogen engine system will feature electrodes that can split hydrogen straight out of seawater, cutting out the need for costly desalination.
A thinner-than-paper ‘nano film’ will then lock the hydrogen away safely in an unpressurised solid form at room temperature, without freezing it at –250°C in heavy giant pressurised tanks.
The current lab-scale prototypes will be built up in partnership with Genuine H2 and the Centre for Process Innovation. The aim is to create a manufacturable product that can be scaled using UK supply chains.
The project will utilise Brunel’s heavy-duty hydrogen combustion engine, soon to be installed on campus. It will be powered entirely by Genuine H2’s electrolyser and storage system, creating a full hydrogen chain – from seawater, to storage, to propulsion.
Wang said: “By working with leading research partners in hydrogen production and storage, this project moves further to demonstrate a complete solution for marine propulsion from renewable energy via seawater to engine propulsion for marine vessels.”
Testing has just begun on land, with the demonstrator running until March 2026.
Leave a Reply