The MARVEL project is designed to implement a high-quality research at the interface of clean energy and hydrogen production technologies using water. The core objective of MARVEL is to develop novel materials and processes for a highly innovative process combining RED and APEWE, through a high-quality research training for the candidate: Dr. Ramato Ashu Tufa with
- Broaden the candidate’s expertise on development of advanced materials for energy conversion and storage
- Design novel and low-cost CEMs with excellent monovalent selectivity for high power generation in RED
- Fabricate and characterize new generation AEMs with superior ion conductivity and stability for
APEWE - Develop and characterize novel, highly active and stable polymer binders and electrodes for
APEWE
- Test the performance of lab-scale hybrid RED-APEWE process with new materials
- Perform a techno-economic
analysis for RED-APEWE system to evaluate commercial feasibility
The principle and application of the proposed integrated system
Figure 3. Illustration of salinity gradient powered hydrogen production and potential applications.
Reverse Electrodialysis
A typical scheme of RED unit is illustrated in Figure 1. Anion exchange membranes (AEM) and cation exchange membranes (CEM) are
Figure 1. The principle of energy production by
Alkaline polymer electrolyte water electrolysis
A scheme of a typical APEWE unit for hydrogen production consisting of a single cell equipped with

Figure 2. Schematic illustration of alkaline electrolysis unit equipped with a solid polymer electrolyte (
Impact
The MARVEL project allows the candidate to broaden his knowledge and expertise in design and development of material and processes for electrochemical energy systems through advanced research and training activities. Key competencies achieved after completion of the MARVEL is envisaged to have a huge impact on the career prospects of the candidate, to hold a position in leading European Universities or industry, to perform a cutting-edge research and innovation through a multidisciplinary investigation approaches on renewable energy generation and hydrogen technologies.
The success of MARVEL in terms of commercialization of RED has a significant contribution to the achievement of the EU 20-20-20 targets with the aim to raise the share of EU energy consumption produced from renewable sources, reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and an increase of EU’s energy efficiency, all by 20%.
The new generation materials developed for the highly innovative RED and APEWE systems will allow surpassing the achievements at the current state-of-the-art, thereby increasing the research and industrial competence of EU in the world. The significant improvement in efficiency of integrated RED-APEWE under MARVEL project represents a key milestone in the era of the ongoing research striving to develop alternative routes for sustainable hydrogen production. The extra 38 Mt/yr of hydrogen estimated to be produced from the globally available SGP will significantly contribute to the hydrogen economy, and to the challenges of ensuring secure, environmentally sustainable and economically competitive EU energy supply for generations to come.
The MARVEL will use high-quality strategies to maintain effective transfer of research-based knowledge to the interested parties thereby maximizing the impact of the research, to raise policy-makers awareness, to attract new partners and scientists, to enhance reputation and to exploit results with the industry.
This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions IF grant agreement No. 748683.