The projects brings together twelve leading European universities, research institutions, and technology companies. Under the coordination of AIT Austrian Institute of Technology, the ENDURION consortium will work over the next four years to develop a highly efficient hydrogen production system known as a pressurised anion exchange membrane electrolyser (AEMEL).
Replacing Critical Materials and Boosting Efficiency
The focus of the project is on the replacement of rare and expensive materials by common materials such as nickel and iron, and on improving the efficiency of the electrolyzer to consume at least 15% less electricity than current technologies. Even more, the problem of durability, which has so far hindered the commercialization of AEMEL, will be solved by developing a more durable anion exchange membrane with a significantly longer lifetime that supports industrial hydrogen use at pressures of 50 bar.
Green hydrogen as the key to decarbonising energy-intensive industries
On the path to climate neutrality green hydrogen is widely regarded as a clean fuel for hard-to-abate sectors such as steelmaking, chemical production, long-distance transportation and the rapidly growing field of energy-intensive data centres. However, current processes for its production are costly, resource-intensive and dependent on critical raw materials. ENDURION's approach aims to tackle all these challenges at once.
"This is an important step towards a sustainable hydrogen economy," explains Dr. Rachmat Adhi Wibowo, project coordinator at AIT. "Our technology will help the industry to reduce its carbon footprint while creating new opportunities for clean technology innovation in Europe."
From Lab to Real-World Application
Beyond technological innovation, ENDURION will also include a thorough assessment of the environmental impact, cost-efficiency, and recyclability of the full system. The ultimate goal is to prepare the technology for use in the field - with a specific use case in energy-intensive sectors such as data centers, which are growing rapidly and looking for clean energy sources.
As an internationally recognised expert in sustainable material synthesis, AIT will lead the design and development of novel anodes based on abundant nickel alloys. These are intended to improve the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) kinetics, one of the main challenges in achieving high AEMEL efficiency. AIT will apply its state-of-the-art high-throughput combinatorial material deposition platform to accelerate the discovery of optimal Ni-alloy compositions for high-performing pressurised AEMEL systems.
AIT scientific contribution to the project will be on the design and development of novel anodes based on abundant Ni-alloys. This contribution aims to enhance the oxygen exolution reaction kinetics which has been one of the persistent challenges in achieving high AEMEL efficiency. AIT will introduce its cutting-edge approach of high-throughput combinatorial material deposition to accelerate the discovery of the most promising Ni-alloy composition for a high-performing pressurised AEMEL.
About ENDURION
The European research project ENDURION is funded by the Horizon Europe Clean Hydrogen Partnership Grant No. 101192485. The project runs from 2025 to 2029 and aims to develop an environmentally friendly next-generation hydrogen production system. The consortium is coordinated by AIT Austrian Institute of Technology (AT), with partners: LEITAT Acondicionamiento Tarrasense Associacion (ES), École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (CH), Politecnico di Torino (IT), Centre National De La Recherche Scientifique (FR), Université de Pau et des Pays de L'Adour (FR), Instrumentacion Y Componentes SA (ES), Industrie De Nora SPA (IT), Scuola Universitaria Professionale Della Svizzera Italiana (CH), Wasabi Innovations (BG), Iolitec Ionic Liquids Technologies GmbH (DE) and Arkema France SA (FR). https://www.endurion.eu
Dr. Rachmat Adhi Wibowo
Scientist, Power and Renewable Gas Systems- +43 50550-6078
- +43 50550-6390
- Rachmat.Wibowo(at)ait.ac.at