Proposed EU ban on a plastic used in electrolysers could cause 'massive disruption' to European hydrogen sector

A proposed European-level ban on a critical type of plastic used in electrolysis equipment could “massively disrupt” the ramp up of electrolyser manufacturing capacity in Europe, an alliance of EU member states, NGOs and hydrogen industry players has warned.

The European Clean Hydrogen Alliance (ECHA) — a public-private partnership launched by the EU in 2020 to bring about clean hydrogen production in the bloc — said that the proposed ban on fluoropolymers is freezing investment in the material.

This, in turn could “massively disrupt” electrolyser manufacturing capacity expansion in the bloc, the ECHA warned.

Fluoropolymers are used in proton exchange membrane (PEM) and anion exchange membrane (AEM) electrolysers to enable the electrochemical reaction that produces hydrogen from renewable electricity, and are also used in balance-of-stack and balance-of-plant electrolysis equipment (see factbox below).

In addition, they are similarly needed in the PEM fuel cells that are used in hydrogen-powered vehicles, potentially causing huge problems for that sector too.

Nevertheless, the European Chemicals Agency is currently considering a blanket ban on the family of plastics to which fluoropolymers belong — Perfluoroalkyl and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAs) — from 2025 at the earliest.