Conceptual Recycling Chain for Proton Exchange Membrane Water Electrolyzer—Case Study Involving a Review Derived Model Stack

The recycling of proton exchange membrane water electrolyzer (PEMWE) raw materials is imperative due to their scarcity, cost, complexity, and environmental impact. This is particularly true in the context of expanding electrolyzer manufacturing and reducing production costs. Developing comprehensive recycling strategies requires the creation of a model stack due to the diversity in stack design, structure, and material. The review derived model presented here provides a sound basis and summarizes the variety found in literature and industry. The holistically developed recycling chain, including dismantling, mechanical processing, hydrometallurgical processes and carbon reuse, is characterized by the complete recycling of materials, the reduced application of energy-intensive process steps and the avoidance of environmentally harmful processes. Emphasis is placed on demonstrating non-destructive disassembly of joined components, dry mechanical decoating of catalyst coated membranes, membrane dissolution, separation of anode and cathode particles, and environmentally friendly hydrometallurgical processing of platinum.