Breakthrough in Hydrogen Production from Produced Water

Strategic Insights -

A pioneering research project has been launched in Fujian Province, where Dongfang Electric (Fujian) Innovation Research Institute Co., Ltd. and PetroChina Changqing Oilfield Oil and Gas Technology Research Institute have partnered to develop a technology that enables the production of hydrogen from produced water without desalination. This breakthrough has the potential to significantly reduce the treatment requirements and costs of hydrogen production from produced water, and convert industrial wastewater into a valuable resource.

Key Takeaways:

  • The project focuses on scaling up the production of hydrogen from gas field produced water using an in-situ direct seawater electrolysis technology pioneered by Academician Xie Heping.
  • The technology can reduce the treatment requirements and costs of hydrogen production from produced water, converting industrial wastewater into hydrogen.
  • The project aims to verify the technology's stability and economic viability under large-scale conditions, laying a key technical foundation for the deep integration of the hydrogen energy industry with the green and low-carbon development of oil and gas fields.
  • The technology has been certified by a third-party organization as a leading domestic technology, and has achieved direct hydrogen production from produced water without purification by electrolysis at the Sulige Gas Field in Inner Mongolia.
  • The project is an important part of realizing the characteristic development of "hydrogen uranium helium" in Changqing Oilfield, aiming to promote the deep integration of the hydrogen energy industry and the green and low-carbon development of oil and gas fields.

Statistics:

  • 3 million tons of produced water are produced annually by Changqing Oilfield, which must undergo multiple treatments to remove contaminants before it can be discharged or reused.
  • The successful field trial of hydrogen production from produced water without purification by electrolysis ran stably for 330 hours.
  • The project aims to scale up the production of hydrogen from gas field produced water, with potential implications for the development of oil and gas fields in China.

Sources:

  • Ministry of Natural Resources Fujian Province: https://www.fuzhou.gov.cn/zwgk/gzdt/rcyw/202509/t20250914_5077899.htm