TECHNOLOGY FOCUS - CHEMICAL ENGINEERING - Preferred Process: In the process, one of the following is true: (i) the catalyst compartment is in fluid communication with the anodic compartment; (ii) the catalyst compartment is in fluid communication with the cathodic compartment; and (iii) the catalyst compartment is in fluid communication with both the anodic and cathodic compartments. The catalyst comprises platinum, where the platinum comprises one or both of nanocrystalline platinum, high surface area platinum, or a combination. The catalyst is in the form of a catalyst bed, where the catalyst bed comprises a porous catalyst bed. The porous catalyst is one of a macro-porous catalyst, micro-porous catalyst, or a mixture. The catalyst is supported by one of activated carbon, carbon black, graphite, graphene, carbon nanotubes, high surface area amorphous carbon, and a mixture. The catalyst comprises platinum loaded on a metal oxide. The catalyst is supported by a metal oxide that is at least one of an aluminum oxide, a rare earth oxide, and mixture. The catalyst comprises 1-90 wt.%, preferably 10 wt.% of platinum. The cathode comprises platinized platinum. The anode is a photoanode, where the photoanode is selected from tungstic oxide (WO3), titanium dioxide (TiO2), titanium oxide (TiO), indium antimonide (InSb), lead (II) selenide (PbSe), lead (II) telluride (PbTe), indium (III) arsenide (InAs), lead (II) sulfide (PbS), germanium (Ge), gallium antimonide (GaSb), indium (III) nitride (InN), iron disillicide (FeSi2), silicon (Si), copper (II) oxide (CuO), indium (III) phosphide (InP), gallium (III) arsenide (GaAs), cadmium telluride (CdTe), selenium (Se), copper (I) oxide (Cu2O), aluminum arsenide (AlAs), zinc telluride (ZnTe), gallium (III) phosphide (GaP), cadmium sulfide (CdS), aluminum phosphide (AlP), zinc selenide (ZnSe), silicon carbide (SiC), zinc oxide (ZnO), titanium (IV) oxide (TiO2), gallium (III) nitride (GaN), zinc sulfide (ZnS), ITO or indium tin oxide (In2O3)0.9(SnO2)0.1 , diamond (C), aluminum nitride (AlN) and mixtures. The photoanode is photoactivated by one or more of sun light, visible-light, and ultra-light. The sunlight is, before contacting with the anode, one or both of concentrated by one or more lenses and channeled by one or more optical fibers. The electric current is formed by one or both of chemical reaction and photoelectrochemical process. The forming of the electrochemical current further comprises oxidizing cerium (+3) to cerium (+4). Forming of the electric current further comprises: forming cerium (+4) from cerium (+3) in the anodic compartment. The process further comprises: passing the formed cerium (+4) from the anodic compartment to the catalyst compartment. The forming of the oxygen gas further comprises: forming cerium (+3) from cerium (+4) in the catalyst compartment. The process as well comprises: passing the formed cerium (+3) from the catalyst compartment to the anodic compartment. The formation of the oxygen gas and cerium (+3) occurs in the absence of an applied electrical potential. The catalyst has a surface area of 0.001-1,000 m2/g, preferably 30-50 m2/g. The anodic, cathodic and catalyst compartments contain an aqueous phase. Alternatively, the process comprises: forming, in a catalyst compartment, oxygen gas by catalytic reduction of cerium (+4) to cerium (+3); forming an electric current, in an anodic compartment containing an anode, by oxidizing cerium (+3) to cerium (+4); forming, in a cathodic compartment containing a cathode, hydrogen gas; and passing the cerium (+4) formed in the anodic compartment to the catalyst compartment and the cerium (+3) formed in the catalyst compartment to the anodic compartment, where the anode and cathode are electrically interconnected. The anodic and cathodic compartments are in fluid communication through the catalyst compartment and where the cathodic, anodic and catalyst compartments contain an aqueous phase. The catalytic reduction of cerium (+4) to cerium (+3) comprises a catalyst, where the catalyst comprises platinum, and where the reduction of Ce(IV) provides the driving force for the oxidation of water. The catalyst comprises one of nanocrystalline platinum, high surface area platinum, or a combination. The catalyst is supported and where the catalyst support comprises one of activated carbon, a metal, a metal oxide, a rare earth composition, a cerium-containing composition, cerium oxide and a mixture. The catalyst comprises platinum loaded on one or more of activated carbon, carbon black, graphite, graphene, carbon nanotubes, and high surface area amorphous carbon. Preferred Device: The electrochemical device further comprises: contacting electromagnetic energy with the photoanode by one or both concentrating and channeling electromagnetic energy devices. The concentrating device comprises one or more lenses. The channeling device comprises one or more optical fibers. The anode generates an electric current by oxidizing cerium (+3) to cerium (+4). The device as well comprises: a porous wall positioned between the anodic and catalyst compartments, the porous wall is permeable to cerium (+3) and cerium (+4). The photoanode has a bandgap of at least about 1.2 eV where when the photoanode is irradiated with electromagnetic energy, the device generates sufficient electrochemical potential to carry out an electrolysis process with little, if any, electrical power from an applied power source. The photoanode has a bandgap of less than about 1.2 eV, where when the photoanode is irradiated with electromagnetic energy, the device requires application of at least some additional electrical energy from the power source to carry out an electrochemical process.