Green Hydrogen Production Using Air-Conditioner Condensate Wastewater: A Review of Solar-Powered Electrolysis Systems

Notice

This is an unedited manuscript accepted for publication and provided as an Article in Press for early access at the author’s request. The article will undergo copyediting, typesetting, and galley proof review before final publication. Please be aware that errors may be identified during production that could affect the content. All legal disclaimers of the journal apply.

Year : 2026 | Volume : 17 | 02 | Page :
    By

    Navdipkumar M. Jadav,

  • Dr. C. D. Sanakhavara,

  • Dr. Mihir Vasavada,

  • Dr. B. M. Ramani,

  • Dr. Jiten Chavda,

  1. Ph.D. Scholar, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering and Technology, Noble University, Junagadh, Gujarat, India
  2. Dean, Faculty of Engineering and Technology, Noble University, Junagadh, Gujarat, India
  3. Assistant Professor, Department of Electrical Engineering, L. D. College of Engineering, Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India
  4. Principal & Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Shri Labhubhai Trivedi Institute of Engineering and Technology, Rajkot, Gujarat, India
  5. Assistant Professor, Electrical Engineering Dept., L.D. College of Engineering, Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India

Abstract

As the world moves toward sustainable and clean energy solutions, growing attention has been directed toward alternative energy carriers such as Hydrogen (H 2 ). Hydrogen is considered an attractive energy option due to its high-density energy and ecofriendly properties. However, most conventional H 2 production methods rely on fossil-fuel-based processes such as steam methane reforming and coal gasification, which contribute significantly to greenhouse gas emissions and environmental degradation. As a result, the development of sustainable hydrogen production technologies has become an important focus of contemporary energy research. Water electrolysis supplied by renewable sources like solar and wind energy is increasingly recognised as one of the most promising techniques for green hydrogen generation among the available production pathways. Renewable-energy-driven electrolysis enables hydrogen production without direct carbon emissions and supports the transition toward a low-carbon energy economy. Nevertheless, large-scale electrolysis systems require substantial quantities of purified water, which raises concerns regarding freshwater availability and long-term resource sustainability. Recent studies have therefore explored alternative water resources for hydrogen production, including wastewater streams. In this context, air-conditioner condensate water has gained attention as a relatively clean and underutilised water resource with low total dissolved solids (TDS) and high purity. This review paper examines hydrogen production technologies with particular emphasis on renewable-energy-driven electrolysis and the potential use of air-conditioner (AC) condensate water as an alternative feedwater for sustainable green hydrogen generation.

Keywords: Air Conditioner Condensate Water, Electrolysis, Green Hydrogen, Renewable Energy, Solar Energy, Wastewater Utilisation

How to cite this article:
Navdipkumar M. Jadav, Dr. C. D. Sanakhavara, Dr. Mihir Vasavada, Dr. B. M. Ramani, Dr. Jiten Chavda. Green Hydrogen Production Using Air-Conditioner Condensate Wastewater: A Review of Solar-Powered Electrolysis Systems. Journal of Alternate Energy Sources & Technologies. 2026; 17(02):-.
How to cite this URL:
Navdipkumar M. Jadav, Dr. C. D. Sanakhavara, Dr. Mihir Vasavada, Dr. B. M. Ramani, Dr. Jiten Chavda. Green Hydrogen Production Using Air-Conditioner Condensate Wastewater: A Review of Solar-Powered Electrolysis Systems. Journal of Alternate Energy Sources & Technologies. 2026; 17(02):-. Available from: https://journals.stmjournals.com/joaest/article=2026/view=245833


References

  1. Ahmed HM. Air Conditioning Condensate: A Potential Water Source for Irrigation. InBusiness Sustainability with Artificial Intelligence (AI): Challenges and Opportunities: Volume 1 2024 Dec 25 (pp. 1213-1223). Cham: Springer Nature Switzerland.
  2. Ali MA, Saifur S, Ali MA. Quantification of condensate water generated from air conditioning system. Global Sci. Technol. J. 2018;6(3):44-56.
  3. Badruzzaman A, Karagoz S, Eljack F. Sustainable-green hydrogen production through integrating electrolysis, water treatment and solar energy. Frontiers in Chemical Engineering. 2025 Jul 21;7:1526331.
  4. Baía A, Arroyo-Escoto AI, Ramos N, Abdelkarim B, Pereira M, Fernandes MC, Zhang Y, Fernandes A. Hydrogen production from winery wastewater through a dual-chamber microbial electrolysis cell. Energies. 2025 Jun 9;18(12):3043.
  5. Prasanth KP, Pillai RS, Bajaj HC, Jasra RV, Chung HD, Kim TH, Song SD. Adsorption of hydrogen in nickel and rhodium exchanged zeolite X. International journal of hydrogen energy. 2008 Jan 1;33(2):735-45.
  6. Barghash H, AlRashdi Z, Okedu KE, Hasoon FN. Assessing environmental benefits of green hydrogen production from sewage treatment plants considering solar PV PEM electrolysis. Results in Engineering. 2025 Jun 1;26:105559.
  7. Benghanem M, Mellit A, Almohamadi H, Haddad S, Chettibi N, Alanazi AM, Dasalla D, Alzahrani A. Hydrogen production methods based on solar and wind energy: a review. Energies. 2023 Jan 9;16(2):757.
  8. Chen Z, Su SI. Photovoltaic supply chain coordination with strategic consumers in China. Renewable Energy. 2014 Aug 1;68:236-44.
  9. Boutarbouch M, El-Moustaqim K, Azoulay K, Boudoudou D, Abarkan A, Moufti A, Mabrouki J. Solar-Powered Electrochemical Processes for Sustainable Wastewater Treatment and Green Hydrogen Production: A Review. InBIO Web of Conferences 2026 (Vol. 215, p. 04009). EDP Sciences.
  10. Carmo M, Fritz DL, Mergel J, Stolten D. A comprehensive review on PEM water electrolysis. International journal of hydrogen energy. 2013 Apr 22;38(12):4901-34.
  11. Dunn S. Hydrogen futures: toward a sustainable energy system. International journal of hydrogen energy. 2002 Mar 1;27(3):235-64.
  12. Farhani S, Alharbi SS, Alharbi SS, Barhoumi EM, Bacha F. Investigation and Analysis of Solar and Wind Energy Potential for Green Hydrogen Production via Alkaline Water Electrolysis. IEEE Access. 2025 Sep 9.
  13. Glenk G, Reichelstein S. Economics of converting renewable power to hydrogen. Nature Energy. 2019 Mar;4(3):216-22.
  14. Han JH, Bae J, Lim J, Jwa E, Nam JY, Hwang KS, Jeong N, Choi J, Kim H, Jeung YC. Acidification-based direct electrolysis of treated wastewater for hydrogen production and water reuse. Heliyon. 2023 Oct 1;9(10).
  15. Xu H, Li J, Xu J, Wang J, Deng F, Li J, Dong J. Synthesis and properties of a zeolite LEV analogue from the system—Na2O–Al2O3–SiO2–N, N-dimethylpiperidine chloride–H2O. Catalysis Today. 2009 Oct 30;148(1-2):6-11.
  16. Abdullah MA, Mursalin R. Condensed water recycling in an air conditioning unit. IOSR Journal of Mechanical and Civil Engineering (IOSR-JMCE). 2021;18(3):13-9.
  17. Ivy J. Summary of electrolytic hydrogen production: milestone completion report. National Renewable Energy Lab., Golden, CO (US); 2004 Mar 31.
  18. Mudgal A, Hadia NJ. Green hydrogen production: synergizing efficient water desalination and food crop by products. Environmental Science and Pollution Research. 2025 Nov;32(54):30246-62.
  19. Kumar R, Chakraborty P, Singh PK, Chakrabortty S, Tripathy SK, Saratale GD, Kumar M, Ghosh AK, Jeon BH. Emerging approaches on biomass and water-based hydrogen production and downstream recovery pathways: a review on recent challenges and prospects. Reviews in Environmental Science and Bio/Technology. 2025 Dec;24(4):957-1018.
  20. Kumar R, Sharma A, Kumar P, KS K, Albert HM, Agrawal AP, Challa B, Rambabu GV, Kumar A. Advanced Materials and System Innovations for Seawater Electrolysis in Hybrid Renewable Energy Systems: Toward Sustainable Hydrogen Production. Chemical Physics Impact. 2025 Nov 15:100972.
  21. Song Q, Chen X, Liu J, Chen J, Loo KH. Decentralized energy management of renewable hydrogen production systems without communication networks. IEEE Transactions on Industrial Electronics. 2023 Nov 9;71(8):8927-37.
  22. Miguel E VS, Pamela C R. Genetic and biotechnological approaches for biofuel crop improvement. Current Opinion in Biotechnology. 2010 Apr 1;21(2).
  23. Logan BE, Call D, Cheng S, Hamelers HV, Sleutels TH, Jeremiasse AW, Rozendal RA. Microbial electrolysis cells for high yield hydrogen gas production from organic matter. Environmental science & technology. 2008 Dec 1;42(23):8630-40.
  24. Logan BE, Rabaey K. Conversion of wastes into bioelectricity and chemicals by using microbial electrochemical technologies. science. 2012 Aug 10;337(6095):686-90.
  25. Momirlan M, Veziroglu TN. The properties of hydrogen as fuel tomorrow in sustainable energy system for a cleaner planet. International journal of hydrogen energy. 2005 Jul 1;30(7):795-802.
  26. Real SG, Ortiz MG, Castro EB, Visintin A. The discharge process of nickel hydroxide electrodes used in batteries: A dynamic analysis study by EIS. International journal of hydrogen energy. 2008 Jul 1;33(13):3493-5.
  27. Ust’ak S, Havrland B, Muñoz JO, Fernández EC, Lachman J. Experimental verification of various methods for biological hydrogen production. International journal of hydrogen energy. 2007 Aug 1;32(12):1736-41.
  28. Pandey AK. Sustainable water management through integrated technologies and circular resource recovery. Environmental Science: Water Research & Technology. 2025;11(8):1822- 46.
  29. Ismail M, Kandeal AW, Sharshir SW, Abd EL-Gawaad NS, Al Bahir A, Nasser M. Green hydrogen-powered air conditioning system for hot climates: Performance and economic analysis. Energy and Buildings. 2025 Jun 15;337:115697.
  30. Wang J, Wan W. Comparison of different pretreatment methods for enriching hydrogen- producing bacteria from digested sludge. International journal of hydrogen energy. 2008 Jun 1;33(12):2934-41.
  31. Chakraborty P, Abhishek S, Sethi C, Jeevan G. Condensate Water as Alternate Resource for Mitigating Water Stress: A Case Study. Water Conservation Science and Engineering. 2025 Apr;10(1):4.
  32. Kumar SS, Himabindu V. Hydrogen production by PEM water electrolysis–A review. Materials Science for Energy Technologies. 2019 Dec 1;2(3):442-54.
  33. Staffell I, Scamman D, Abad AV, Balcombe P, Dodds PE, Ekins P, Shah N, Ward KR. The role of hydrogen and fuel cells in the global energy system. Energy & Environmental Science. 2019;12(2):463-91.
  34. Turner JA. Sustainable hydrogen production. Science. 2004 Aug 13;305(5686):972-4.
  35. Baykara SZ. Hydrogen production by direct solar thermal decomposition of water, possibilities for improvement of process efficiency. International Journal of Hydrogen Energy. 2004 Nov 1;29(14):1451-8.
  36. Ursúa A, Sanchis P, Marroyo L. Electric Conditioning and Efficiency of Hydrogen Production Systems and Their. Renewable Hydrogen Technologies: Production, Purification, Storage, Applications and Safety. 2013 May 3:333.
  37. Ursua A, Gandia LM, Sanchis P. Hydrogen production from water electrolysis: current status and future trends. Proceedings of the IEEE. 2011 Jun 20;100(2):410-26.
  38. Bajpai P, Dash V. Hybrid renewable energy systems for power generation in stand-alone applications: A review. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews. 2012 Jun 1;16(5):2926- 39.
  39. Walter MG, Warren EL, McKone JR, Boettcher SW, Mi Q, Santori EA, Lewis NS. Solar water splitting cells. Chemical reviews. 2010 Nov 10;110(11):6446-73.
  40. Zeng K, Zhang D. Recent progress in alkaline water electrolysis for hydrogen production and applications. Progress in energy and combustion science. 2010 Jun 1;36(3):307-26.
Ahead of Print Subscription Review Article
Volume 17
02
Received 26/02/2026
Accepted 29/05/2026
Published 03/06/2026
Publication Time 97 Days
1

Login


My IP

PlumX Metrics