Electrochemical Hydrogen Pump Allows for Low-Cost, Single-Step Process</h2>

Electrochemical Hydrogen Pump Allows for Low-Cost, Single-Step Process

Gemini Energy, a California-based company founded in 2021, has exclusively licensed an ion-pair electrochemical hydrogen pump (EHP) technology developed at Los Alamos National Laboratory across several fields of use. The partnership earned a Technology Transfer Excellence honor from the Laboratory.

The technology is designed to address inefficiencies in industrial hydrogen processing, where purification and compression can require energy-intensive equipment and multiple steps. Los Alamos’ EHP could combine separation, purification, and compression into a single solid-state electrochemical process with no moving parts.

The system has demonstrated more than 99% hydrogen recovery and greater than 99.999% purity. It could potentially replace the combination of pressure-swing adsorption systems — a common industrial method for purifying hydrogen — and multi-stage mechanical compressors currently used in some hydrogen-processing applications.

Gemini Energy and Los Alamos researchers began exploring the technology’s potential after the company visited the Laboratory in 2023. Their collaboration led to a joint paper in Nature Energy in December 2024 demonstrating the technology’s performance.

The technology could have applications across a range of hydrogen markets, including refineries and petrochemical facilities, geological hydrogen, fuel-to-power and power-to-fuel systems, hydrogen refueling stations, pipelines, and transportation. With an estimated $45 billion worth of hydrogen currently wasted annually, more efficient recovery, purification, and compression could support the continued development of the hydrogen economy.

Unlike conventional systems that can require significant capital investment and complex mechanical equipment, the EHP is designed as a compact, modular platform. Los Alamos researchers expect initial commercial deployment following further system integration and scale-up.

Gemini Energy has also established a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement with Los Alamos to continue advancing the membrane technology. The collaboration will allow researchers and the company to maintain an ongoing feedback loop as the technology is developed and improved for commercial applications.

Through the licensing agreement and continued research partnership, Gemini Energy is working to move the Los Alamos technology from laboratory development toward industrial use, with the potential to reduce the energy and infrastructure requirements associated with hydrogen processing.

Originally published in the 2025 Annual Report for Los Alamos National Laboratory’s Richard P. Feynman Center for Innovation.