AWWA WQTC69377

Based on the existing data, this study hypothesizes that the quality of water produced by modern polymer electrolyte (PEM) fuel cells is higher than typical tap waters and complies with U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) regulations. To validate this hypothesis, research was done to analyze the quality of water samples collected from six hydrogen fuel cells in North America and to compare the data to municipal water quality parameters and USEPA maximum contaminant levels (MCLs). Water samples were obtained from six laboratory scale PEMFCs operated at research centers across the United States. The exhaust water generated at the cathode and the inlet water used for humidification of the hydrogen (where applicable) were collected for analysis. Fenton's reagent leaching test (Collier et al. 2006; Healey et al., 2005), which simulates the most severe conditions to which a membrane may be exposed inside a fuel cell, and thus yields the maximum water contamination from membrane chemical degradation, was performed on a one of the most widely used fuel cell membranes - Nafion 111-IP (Ion Power Inc.). The major anions, pH, and TOC of the leachates were analyzed. The water quality analysis consisted of measuring pH (Beckman 250), conductivity (Thermo Orion 130A), total organic carbon (Shimadzu 5050A TOC), and the concentrations of the major anions and cations using ion chromatography (Dionex DX-120) and inductively coupled plasma mass spectroscopy (Thermo Electron Element 2), respectively. Includes 11 references, tables.