The European research project ENDURION is developing an innovative concept for the production of green hydrogen for industrial applications. The project brings together twelve leading European universities, research institutions, and technology companies. Coordinated by the AIT Austrian Institute of Technology, the ENDURION consortium will work over the next four years to develop a highly efficient hydrogen production system in the field of anion exchange membrane electrolyzers (AEMEL).

Replacing critical materials and increasing efficiency

The project focuses on replacing rare and expensive materials with common materials such as nickel and iron, and on improving the efficiency of the electrolyzer so that it consumes at least 15% less electricity than current technologies. In addition, the durability issue that has hitherto hindered the commercialization of AEMEL will be addressed by developing an anion exchange membrane with a significantly longer service life, enabling the industrial use of hydrogen at a pressure of 50 bar.

Green hydrogen as the key to decarbonizing energy-intensive industries 

On the road to climate neutrality, green hydrogen is widely regarded as a clean energy carrier for hard-to-decarbonize sectors such as steel production, chemical production, long-distance transport, and the rapidly growing field of energy-intensive data centers. However, current methods of production are costly, resource-intensive, and dependent on critical raw materials. ENDURION's approach aims to address all these challenges at once.

Dr. Rachmat Adhi Wibowo, project coordinator at AIT. © AIT/ Krischanz

"This is an important step towards a sustainable hydrogen economy," explains Dr. Rachmat Adhi Wibowo, project coordinator at AIT. "Our technology will help industry reduce its carbon footprint while creating new opportunities for clean technology innovation in Europe."

From the lab to real-world application

In addition to technological innovation, ENDURION will also include a thorough assessment of the environmental impact, cost efficiency, and recyclability of the entire system. The goal is to prepare the technology for practical use—with a specific use case in energy-intensive sectors such as data centers, which are growing rapidly and seeking clean energy sources.

AIT will contribute its expertise in sustainable material synthesis to the design and development of novel anodes based on abundant nickel alloys. These are intended to improve the kinetics of the oxygen evolution reaction (OER), one of the biggest challenges in achieving high AEMEL efficiency. 

AIT will leverage its state-of-the-art AI-assisted high-throughput platform for combinatorial material deposition to accelerate the discovery of optimal nickel alloy compositions for high-performance AEMEL systems under pressure. AIT's scientific contribution to this project will focus on the design and development of novel anodes based on abundant Ni alloys. This contribution aims to improve the reaction kinetics of oxygen evolution, which is one of the ongoing challenges in achieving high AEMEL efficiency. AIT will contribute its innovative approach of combinatorial material deposition in a high-throughput process to accelerate the discovery of the most promising Ni alloy composition for a high-performance pressurized 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 a next-generation environmentally friendly hydrogen production system. The consortium is coordinated by AIT Austrian Institute of Technology (AT), with the following 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