The effect of Fe ³⁺ contamination in feed water on proton exchange membrane electrolyzer performance

The effect of ferric ions on cell performance of proton exchange membrane water electrolyzer (PEM WE)was studied by injecting Fe₂(SO₄)₃ solution into DI water to prepare different Fe³⁺ concentrations contamination (1, 10, 100 parts per million (ppm, molar ratio)). Results showed that there was clear cell performance decay with increasing Fe³⁺ concentrations, and the cell stopped running at 100 ppm Fe³⁺ concentration in feed water. With increasing temperature, the cell performance increased for a short period. With low Fe³⁺ concentrations, cell performance decreased with increasing current density, but with 10 ppm Fe₃₊ concentration and higher current density of 2A/cm2 , cell performance was enhanced. Therefore, both temperature and current density can make positive contributions to improve cell performance under the condition of contaminated feed water.