DOE Grants $60M to Advance Electrolysis for Hydrogen, PEM Consortium

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), with the support of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL), awarded the Chemours Company a total of $60 million in grants following a review of two applications. Chemours and its partners will allocate this funding toward the acceleration of membrane technology for PEM water electrolysis to advance a U.S. hydrogen economy supply chain, as well as the creation of a Recovery and Recycling consortium dedicated to the circulation of PEM electrolyzers and fuel cells.

“We have a unique place in the hydrogen supply chain as a global supplier of ionomers and membranes for PEM electrolysis, the only domestic manufacturer of ion exchange materials, and a key project partner in the Appalachian Regional Clean Hydrogen Hub (ARCH2) under the U.S. DOE’s Regional Clean Hydrogen Hub initiative,” said Gerardo Familiar, President of Advanced Performance Materials at Chemours. “As such, we must look further into the future and take a responsible approach to building and maintaining this evolving industry. Enabling the circularity of the materials necessary to produce clean hydrogen well into the future will be essential to this effort and aligns with our longstanding sustainability values.”

The technical project “Durable, High-Performance Membranes for Proton Exchange Membrane Water Electrolysis,” for which the primary recipient is Chemours, will develop a low-resistance Nafion membrane with high durability for PEM electrolyzer stacks. Nafion development aligns with the project goal to create products that can be manufactured in a cost-effective, large-scale manner. The company was also welcomed as a project partner in H₂CIRC—a consortium designed to create a blueprint for the hydrogen industry to recover and recycle materials and components from fuel cells and electrolyzers.

“Chemours is committed to using the power of its chemistry to advance the clean-energy transition and hydrogen economy. Selection by the U.S. DOE for these grants furthers our leading role and builds on the public, private, and academic partnerships whose collaborative efforts support the global adoption of hydrogen as a clean energy source,” said Stefanie Kopchick, Hydrogen Business Venture Leader at Chemours. “Our Nafion ion exchange membranes play a critical role in driving the hydrogen economy and helping to create a more sustainable future, and these funds will help to accelerate their further development as well as taking a proactive approach to building an infrastructure supporting circularity of fuel cells and electrolyzers.”

Rolls of Chemours' Nafion electrolysis membrane; Image Credits: Nafion

As part of the BIL, DOE grants represent $750 million in support for projects that will advance hydrogen technologies and enhance manufacturing and recycling for clean hydrogen systems and components. DOE funding aligns with the plan established in the U.S. National Clean Hydrogen Strategy and Roadmap, focusing on cost reduction, manufacturing, supply chains, and domestic jobs.

Since the passing of the BIL, the DOE has been funding a wide variety of projects dedicated to decarbonization and the production of renewable energy. Recently, it granted $425 million to support small- and medium-sized manufacturers in current and former coal communities producing and recycling clean-energy products. This funding comes as part of the Advanced Manufacturing and Recycling Grant Program, managed by the DOE’s Office of Manufacturing and Energy Supply Chains.