Advancing Seawater Electrochemical Reaction for Fuel and Chemical Production

As global demand for sustainable chemical processes intensifies, seawater, with its vast availability and rich composition, represents a promising resource for advancing green chemical technologies. Seawater can serve as a feedstock or intermediate for producing fuels and chemicals, including hydrogen, chlorine gas and chloride, sodium, magnesium, and carbon-based compounds through specific electrochemical reactions. While extensive studies have been focused on seawater hydrogen production, systematic exploration of its broader electrochemical reactions remains limited. This review provides a comprehensive overview of current progress in seawater electrochemical reactions, covering its composition, fundamental reaction principles, and existing challenges. Specific examples on the use of seawater to produce fuels and chemicals beyond hydrogen are reviewed, with an emphasis on innovative electrochemical reaction mechanisms, advanced catalyst development, and integrated system designs. Apart from catalyst optimization for existing reactions, we highlight the importance of exploring alternative reactions and scalable systems. Future perspectives focus on expanding research scope, developing efficient catalysts and electrolyzers, testing in real seawater, advancing product separation, and evaluating practical systems to enable sustainable processes for clean fuel and high-value chemical production, supporting global carbon neutrality.