Water electrolysis

The process, involving the flow of electric current, through an electrolytic conductor (electrolyte solutions). This process is accompanied by various chemical reactions at the interface - metallic conductor / electrolytic conductor. Electrolysis can occur in both acidic and basic environments.

Electrolysis of water is an uncomplicated and relatively inexpensive way of industrially obtaining hydrogen and oxygen of very high purity. The decomposition of water into hydrogen and oxygen under the influence of an electric current was first performed by English physicist W. Grave in 1839.

Effects of current flow through water (electrolysis):
- ordering the movement of ions,
- division into positive ions (cations) and negative ions (anions),
- the course of chemical processes on the surfaces of electrodes,
- concentration changes in the electrolyte areas adjacent to the electrodes.

We study and measure the chemical processes that occur during electrolysis and the properties of solutions using electrodes and sensors.

A major disadvantage of the water electrolysis process is the very high demand for electricity hence, the process is only viable if a source of cheap electricity is available. It is much more cost-effective to obtain hydrogen from natural gas hence, at the time of development of the petrochemical industry, the method of water electrolysis is resorted to in order to obtain hydrogen.