Bosch enters the green hydrogen sector with technology for drinking water treatment
Bosch has just announced that it is going to expand into the water treatment technology sector. In addition to the usual reverse osmosis water treatment systems, it will offer new solutions specifically designed for remote areas and offshore sites.
Systems designed by Bosch Manufacturing Solutions boast low maintenance, and eliminate the need for chemicals in the water treatment process. This will be ideal for the most vulnerable and remote areas, making water treatment much more manageable and easy.
Bosch innovates in water treatment
Water treatment is the most important link in the hydrogen value chain. Therefore, Bosch has developed the water treatment technology for electrolysis and throughout this year, external pilot projects will be added. The market launch of these systems is scheduled for the year 2024. They will be presented at the Bosch Tech Day to be held on July 13.
It is expected that in the future, hydrogen will be produced in areas with strong winds or abundant sunshine, such as Africa, South America or northern Europe. But offshore or desert sites present particular challenges: such as considerable distances from technical facilities or water with high salt or mineral content. As a result, the demand for special equipment is increasing, and it is expected that, from 2035, around 500 water treatment systems of this type will be needed worldwide every year.
Bosch systems are capable of removing minerals from water through thermal and electrochemical processes in order to obtain the ultrapure water necessary for electrolysing. A treatment process without filter media makes operators can completely dispense with the use of chemicals. For the predictive maintenance of the equipment, even remotely, software solutions will be offered that guarantee proper operation in adverse environmental conditions.
The demand for ultrapure water for global hydrogen projects is enormous. Starting in 2050, the annual demand for water used in electrolysis will amount to about four cubic kilometres. Spain it also has ambitious plans, as the government has set H2 electrolysers with a total capacity of 4 gigawatts by 2030. The EU wants to install 40 gigawatts of electrolysis capacity in Europe by 2030, to produce up to ten million metric tons of renewable hydrogen.
For water treatment in developed areas, Bosch plans to expand its portfolio with industrial systems that use reverse osmosis processes and ion exchangers to convert tap water into the ultrapure water needed by electrolysers. Its system reduces the amount of water needed to produce the water used in the electrolysis process by up to a third compared to the usual solutions on the market. In addition to producing water for electrolysis, it is also produce drinking water.
