Showing posts with label hydrogen. Show all posts

2011-03-31

Artificial Leaves Store Solar Power as Hydrogen Fuel

First Practical Artificial Leaf Makes Debut : Discovery News

Researchers have developed a practical "artificial leaf" that turns sunlight into storable fuel.
The device splits molecules of water into hydrogen and oxygen.
The team still needs to design a system to capture the fuels before the system can be fully commercialized.

Collected from: First Practical Artificial Leaf Makes Debut : Discovery News

Scientists find 'Holy Grail' of science as they mastermind the world's first artificial leaf | Mail Online

Scientists claim to have found the 'Holy Grail' of science in an artificial leaf that could turn ever British home into its own power station.

The leaf, which is the same size as a playing card, mimics the process of photosynthesis that plants use to convert sunlight and water into energy.

Scientists behind the invention say it could provide an affordable solution to the third world's growing energy crisis.

Dr Daniel Nocera, who led the research team, said: 'A practical artificial leaf has been one of the Holy Grails of science for decades.

'We believe we have done it.

Collected from: Scientists find 'Holy Grail' of science as they mastermind the world's first artificial leaf | Mail Online

Collected from: Dan Nocera: Personalized Energy on Vimeo

The device is an advanced solar cell, no bigger than a typical playing card, which is left floating in a pool of water. Then, much like a natural leaf, it uses sunlight to split the water into its two core components, oxygen and hydrogen, which are stored in a fuel cell to be used when producing electricity.

Nocera's leaf is stable -- operating continuously for at least 45 hours without a drop in activity in preliminary tests -- and made of widely available, inexpensive materials -- like silicon, electronics and chemical catalysts. It's also powerful, as much as ten times more efficient at carrying out photosynthesis than a natural leaf.

With a single gallon of water, Nocera says, the chip could produce enough electricity to power a house in a developing country for an entire day. Provide every house on the planet with an artificial leaf and we could satisfy our 14 terawatt need with just one gallon of water a day.

Collected from: MIT's artificial leaf is ten times more efficient than the real thing (Wired UK)

Making hydrogen gas (the bubbles) from a solar cell in water, a Sun Catalytix prototype.

(Credit: Martin LaMonica/CNET)

Collected from: 'Artificial leaf' makes hydrogen from solar cell | Green Tech - CNET News

Debut of the first practical 'artificial leaf'

The key to this breakthrough is Nocera’s recent discovery of several powerful new, inexpensive catalysts, made of nickel and cobalt, that are capable of efficiently splitting water into its two components, hydrogen and oxygen, under simple conditions. Right now, Nocera’s leaf is about 10 times more efficient at carrying out photosynthesis than a natural leaf. However, he is optimistic that he can boost the efficiency of the artificial leaf much higher in the future.

Collected from: Debut of the first practical 'artificial leaf'

MIT’s Daniel Nocera Announces Artificial Leaf With Goal To Make Every Home a Power Station, Signs with Tata | Free Energy Times

Nocera has founded a company called Sun Catalytix which is working on the development of this technology — specifically on ways to store the power of the sun so it can be used around the clock so electricity is always available.

The Indian Tata group has recently signed an agreement with Nocera to help them commercialize this discovery.

You can see Nocera talking about his technology and Sun Catalytix here.

Collected from: MIT’s Daniel Nocera Announces Artificial Leaf With Goal To Make Every Home a Power Station, Signs with Tata | Free Energy Times

Related

2011-02-21

Cella Energy -- Synthetic Hydrogen Fuel

Energy from hydrogen can be harnessed by burning the gas or combining it with oxygen in a fuel cell to produce electricity.

But current methods of storing hydrogen are expensive and not very safe.

To get round this, scientists from the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, near Oxford, University College London and Oxford University have found a way of densely packing hydrogen into tiny beads that can be poured or pumped like a liquid.

Stephen Volker, of Cellar Energy, which is developing the technology, told Gizmag: ‘We have developed micro-beads that can be used in an existing gasoline or petrol vehicle to replace oil-based fuels.

How it works: Cella Energy is optimistic that drivers will not need to modify their cars in order to use the fuel

Collected from: Relief at the pumps: Revolutionary hydrogen fuel could cost just 90p per GALLON (and it will run in existing cars) | Mail Online

Safe, low-cost hydrogen storage

[...]

Vehicles – Hydrogen fuels for vehicles you can pump like regular gasoline at room temperature and pressure, safer to use than gasoline or diesel but with zero carbon emissions.

Fuel additives that could allow a regular vehicle to meet the Euro 6 emission standards with minimal modifications

[...]

Features:

low-pressure
safe
ambient temperatures
rapid desorption of hydrogen
pure hydrogen
can be handled safely in the open air

[...]

Benefits:

increases revenue for customer
fast introduction into market
saves money and time on packaging
end customer can travel further without refuelling

Collected from: Cella Energy - Home

Pure hydrogen solution, how it would work in a vehicle

Cella can manufacture the materials in the form of micron-sized beads. This makes it possible to move the beads like a fluid.

[...]

The beads are stored in a fuel tank, which does not need to contain high pressures or be heated and cooled, therefore it can be a simple lightweight plastic tank of complex shape similar to that used in current vehicles. The hydride beads are then pumped to a hot cell where waste heat from the engine exhaust is used to drive the hydrogen into a small buffer volume. The hydrogen buffer is maintained at a pressure suitable for the internal combustion engine ICE or fuel cell and which is sufficient in volume to be able to restart the vehicle. Once the hydride has been heated and the hydrogen driven off, the waste beads are stored in another lightweight plastic tank.

Collected from: Cella Energy - Our Technology

YouTube - Synthetic Hydrogen Fuel For $1.50?

Collected from: YouTube - Synthetic Hydrogen Fuel For $1.50?

Related

2010-06-17

The miniPAK -- Horizon's Portable Electronic Device Charger

At last! An affordable, portable, pocket-sized Personal Fuel Cell

The Horizon MiniPak will almost certainly be the public's first experience of the coming Hydrogen Economy.

Image Gallery (5 images)

Collected from: At last! An affordable, portable, pocket-sized Personal Fuel Cell

Portable fuel cell powers gadgets with water

Horizon’s solution relies on a purpose-built cartridge, called a HydroStik, which is refilled from a “desktop hydrogen supply”. HydroStiks are inserted into the MiniPak, a handheld conversion unit that produces 1.5W to 2W of continuous power and includes a standard 5V USB port to enable direct plugging-in of any USB-dependent device. Adapter tips support a variety of smartphones and GPS units from Motorola, LG, Sony, Nokia, Sony Ericsson, Samsung, BlackBerry, HTC, and Garmin (here’s the official video complete with 80s-styled synthpop ambient music).

Collected from: Portable fuel cell powers gadgets with water

Collected from: YouTube - Horizon's NEW MiniPak - compact fuel cell power supply for your power-hungry portable electronics

features:

Refillable H2 storage!
Cheaper for the amount of storable energy ($/Wh)
More available energy than most existing devices (Wh)
No self discharge - energy can be stored in solid state for years
No wall sockets ideal for remote "off-grid" use or international travel
Smaller size for similar weight when compared to best available batteries
Ready-to-use device - no need to charge cartridges prior to first-time use
Easy to use (Universal USB for multiple devices), no need for adaptor plugs
Sustainable product: product makes use of recycled plastics and green materials
Multiple use - can be used for numerous portable devices, not just cell-phones!
Eco-friendly: if disposed, canisters do not contain any mercury, cadmium or lead
"Hot swappable" energy by simply swapping "empty for full" cartridges on the go
Carriable on-board aircraft cabin - thanks to recent legislation on metal hydride devices
Infrastructure for the future - HydroFILL "home refueling station" can be used for many other fuel cell devices

Collected from: Portable Power - Horizon Fuel Cell Technologies

A Hydrogen Station In Every Home?

CNN's Kristie Lu Stout talks to Taras Wankewycz about a new hydrogen fuel-cell refueling station for the home.

Would you like to know more?

"Horizon to show home fuel cell technology that charges gadgets"
http://edition.cnn.com/2010/TECH/01/0...

Collected from: YouTube - A Hydrogen Station In Every Home?

Sources

At last! An affordable, portable, pocket-sized Personal Fuel Cell
http://www.gizmag.com/at-last-an-affordable-portable-pocket-size-fuel-cell/15425/
Portable fuel cell powers gadgets with water
http://apcmag.com/Content.aspx?id=5801
YouTube - Horizon's NEW MiniPak - compact fuel cell power supply for your power-hungry portable electronics
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nyNc-97ZFhM&feature=player_embedded
Portable Power - Horizon Fuel Cell Technologies
http://www.horizonfuelcell.com/electronics.htm
YouTube - A Hydrogen Station In Every Home?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WLVQVtuPR9c

Products & Markets - Horizon Fuel Cell Technologies
http://www.horizonfuelcell.com/products.htm
Horizon MiniPak personal fuel cell charger hits shelves for $100 -- Engadget
http://www.engadget.com/2010/06/16/horizon-minipak-personal-fuel-cell-charger-hits-shelves-for-100/
Horizon’s Cheap Personal Fuel Cell Now On Sale—Charge Gadgets Cleanly And Cheaply | Gizmodo Australia
http://www.gizmodo.com.au/2010/06/horizons-cheap-personal-fuel-cell-now-on-salecharge-gadgets-cleanly-and-cheaply/
Horizon MiniPak Pocket-Sized Fuel Cell Charger
http://www.gadgetvenue.com/horizon-minipak-pocketsized-fuel-cell-charger-06161724/
Pocket-Sized Fuel Cell Charges Gadgets Away From Home
http://ecogeek.org/component/content/article/3192
Horizon offers fuel cells for portable devices - GREEN.BLORGE.com
http://green.blorge.com/2010/06/horizon-offers-fuel-cells-for-portable-devices/

2010-05-05

Super Bacterium Hydrogen Gas Production

Could a New Zealand bacterium foster a hydrogen economy?

How could a bacterium discovered in a New Zealand hot spring pave the way for a clean-energy, hydrogen-based economy? Researchers in Sweden think they might have found the answer.

Caldicellulosiruptor saccharolyticus has more than a tongue-twisting name; it also has the ability to pump out twice as much hydrogen gas as other bacteria currently used in biogas production. That novel skill could potentially help make hydrogen production more energy- and cost-effective than it is today, making a hydrogen-fueled future more of a possibility.

Collected from: Could a New Zealand bacterium foster a hydrogen economy? | Energy

New Super Bacterium Doubles Hydrogen Gas Production

[...]

"If hydrogen gas is produced from biomass, there is no addition of carbon dioxide because the carbon dioxide formed in the production is the same that is absorbed from the atmosphere by the plants being used. Bio-hydrogen gas will probably complement biogas in the future," predicts Karin Willquist.

Today there are cars that run on hydrogen gas, e.g. the Honda FCX, even if they are few in number. The reason for this is that it is too expensive to produce hydrogen gas and there is no functioning hydrogen infrastructure.

"A first step towards a hydrogen gas society could be to mix hydrogen gas with methane gas and use the existing methane gas infrastructure. Buses in Malmö, for example, drive on a mixture of hydrogen gas and methane gas," says Karin Willquist.

Collected from: New super bacterium doubles hydrogen gas production

Welcome to Lund

Lund University is the strongest research university in Sweden and one of Scandinavia's largest institutions for education and research.

We offer over 70 Master’s programmes and 300 single subject courses, all taught in English.

Applied Microbiology

Biohydrogen

Extreme thermophiles

Biological hydrogen production has regained interest and the research in the field increases in intention. At Applied Microbiology we focus on the physiology of extreme thermophilic hydrogen producers, especially species of Caldicellulosiruptor.

Collected from: Lund University, Sweden - Research, International Master Degree Programmes in English

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2009-10-18

Hydrogen Fuel from Sunlight

clipped from news.softpedia.com

'Growing' Hydrogen Fuel from Sunlight

New, green energy production method wins grant money

The US Department of Energy (DOE) has recently announced that it will award $1.7 million in grant money to the University of Rochester, to support new, alternative, hydrogen-production methods. The university's approach relies on using artificial photosynthesis and carbon nanotubes to get the job done, and this daring initiative is what caught the eye of the DOE in the first place.

clipped from news.softpedia.com

clipped from www.rochester.edu

Chemistry Team Seeks to Use Artificial Photosynthesis and Nanotubes to Generate Hydrogen Fuel with Sunlight

"Everybody talks about using hydrogen as a super-green fuel, but actually generating that fuel without using some other non-green energy in the process is not easy," says Kara Bren, professor in the Department of Chemistry. "People have used sunlight to derive hydrogen from water before, but the trick is making the whole process efficient enough to be useful."

clipped from chem.rochester.edu

Sources:

GM's Hydrogen Fuel Cell Car

Clipped from: GM to Sell Hydrogen Fuel-Cell Car By 2012 : Gas 2.0

GM to Sell Hydrogen Fuel-Cell Car By 2012

General Motors has revealed that it is still on-track to bring a hydrogen fuel-cell car to market, within the next three years.

Industry insiders had speculated that the imminent retirement of existing boss Larry Burns would lead to the fuel-cell program being mothballed, but according to new R&D chief Alan Taub, GM will continue with its development of the technology.

“Technology leadership is one of the pillars of the company,” said Taub. “That is going to remain, and it will probably be emphasised as part of the brand of GM.”

Clipped from: GM Shrinks its Hydrogen Fuel Cell and Makes it Cheaper, More Durable : TreeHugger

GM Shrinks its Hydrogen Fuel Cell and Makes it Cheaper, More Durable

5th generation on the right. Photo: ABG

GM's Fifth Generation Hydrogen Fuel Cell
On the left side of the photo above is the fuel cell stack from the hydrogen-powered GM Equinox (93kW of output) and on the right side you can see the new fifth generation GM fuel cell stack (93kW of output also). Even without looking at the technical specifications, it is pretty obvious that the next gen GM fuel cell is an improvement on the previous version ...

Clipped from: GM - Technology - Fuel Efficient Car - Fuel Economy Car - Fuel Cell Car

How Fuel Cells Work

A fuel cell harnesses the electricity created in the chemical reaction that occurs when hydrogen and oxygen are combined. Hundreds of fuel cells are "stacked" together, combining their electrical outputs into enough electricity to power a car.

Clipped from: YouTube - General Motors - Sequal - Hydrogen Fuel Cell Car

General Motors - Sequal - Hydrogen Fuel Cell Car

Clipped from: Hydrogen + Oxygen = Fuel | Long Island Press

Hydrogen + Oxygen = Fuel

THE BOTTOM LINE

Vehicles running on hydrogen use no petroleum and have zero tailpipe emissions Clean steam is the only thing that comes out the back of the car. But certain obstacles have to be overcome before hydrogen cars hit the market on a large scale like: improving battery life, lowering the market price and tweaking the technology. Hydrogen is difficult to make and the process sometimes requires fossil fuels. Some stations rely on waste hydrogen products from factories, instead of fossil fuels. Right now, there is no electric car that can go farther than 200 miles and all batteries have a limited lifetime.

Sources

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2008-12-18

Storing Solar Energy

Clipped from: Cheap solar at night? MIT may have answer - The Boston Globe

Cheap solar at night? MIT may have answer

MIT researchers say they have discovered a way to use solar energy cheaply even after the sun goes down, which could make it a mainstream source of power within the next decade.

Clipped from: 'Major discovery' from MIT primed to unleash solar revolution - MIT News Office

With Daniel Nocera's and Matthew Kanan's new catalyst, homeowners could use their solar panels during the day to power their home, while also using the energy to split water into hydrogen and oxygen for storage. At night, the stored hydrogen and oxygen could be recombined using a fuel cell to generate power while the solar panels are inactive.

Clipped from: YouTube - Daniel Nocera describes new process for storing solar energy

Clipped from: 'Major discovery' from MIT primed to unleash solar revolution - MIT News Office

MIT news

'Major discovery' from MIT primed to unleash solar revolution

Scientists mimic essence of plants' energy storage system

Daniel G. Nocera, the Henry Dreyfus Professor of Energy at MIT, has developed a simple method to split water molecules and produce oxygen gas, a discovery that paves the way for large-scale use of solar power.

MIT researchers have developed a new catalyst, consisting of cobalt metal, phosphate and an electrode. When the catalyst is placed in water and electricity runs through the electrode, oxygen gas is produced. When another catalyst is used to produce hydrogen gas, the oxygen and hydrogen can be combined inside a fuel cell, creating carbon-free electricity to power a house or an electric car, day or night.

Clipped from: Molecular Chemistry of Renewable Energy

2008-10-26

Microbial fuel cells

clipped from peswiki.com

Directory:Penn State Microbial Fuel Cells Produce Hydrogen from Waste Water

Aka : "BioElectrochemically Assisted Microbial Reactor" (BEAMR)

Microbial fuel cells (MFCs) represent a completely new method of renewable energy recovery: the direct conversion of organic matter (e.g. sewage waste) to electricity using bacteria. The method is highly efficient and produces a high volume of hydrogen.

Researchers have designed a microbial electrolysis cell in which bacteria break up acetic acid (a product of plant waste fermentation) to produce hydrogen gas with a very small electrical input from an outside source. Hydrogen can then be used for fuel cells or as a fuel additive in vehicles that now run on natural gas.
Credit: Zina Deretsky, National Science Foundation.

clipped from www.engr.psu.edu

Hydrogen energy research has sprung to the forefront at Penn State University, where more than a hundred researchers are fully involved in developing new hydrogen energy and hydrogen fuel cell technologies.

clipped from www.engr.psu.edu

Microbial Fuel Cells for Electricity Generation

Microbial fuel cell research involves the direct conversion of organic matter to electricity using bacteria. This new form of renewable energy recovery may be instituted into existing wastewater treatment plants to help generate the electricity used during water treatment, which consumes 5% of all electricity generated in the USA. Current research focuses on developing MFC's that use can use bacteria to both produce electricity and effectively clean wastewater, and improving methods to increase power generation.

2008-06-20

Water-Fuel Car -- Too Good To Be True?

Japanese company, Genepax has claimed that it has created a new eco-friendly car that can run on nothing but water. The company did not disclose much but they use some process to produce hydrogen from water, used as fuel for a hydrogen fuel cell to run the car. This idea, however, might be too good to be true.

clipped from www.genepax.co.jp

GENEPAX

TOP PAGE

COMPANY INFO

NEWS RELEASE
ENERGY SYSTEM
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTION

CONTACT

clipped from www.reuters.com

Water-fuel car unveiled in Japan

Jun. 13 - Japanese company Genepax presents its eco-friendly car that runs on nothing but water.

clipped from www.youtube.com

clipped from www.huffingtonpost.com

Water-Fueled Car Too Good To Be True?

How this Water Car Probably Works

It is actually possible to make a car look like it runs on water without breaking the first law of thermodynamics. The way it's usually done is with metal hydrides. These react with water to produce hydrogen, which is then used to power the car. But since these hydrides will deplete with time, they need to be replaced and so they are actually the fuel, not the water. And you can be sure that more energy will go into producing them than will be taken out, making them an energy carrier, just like a battery.

Pages

2011-03-31

2011-02-21

Safe, low-cost hydrogen storage

Features:

Benefits:

Pure hydrogen solution, how it would work in a vehicle

2010-06-17

At last! An affordable, portable, pocket-sized Personal Fuel Cell

Portable fuel cell powers gadgets with water

A Hydrogen Station In Every Home?

2010-05-05

Could a New Zealand bacterium foster a hydrogen economy?

New Super Bacterium Doubles Hydrogen Gas Production

Welcome to Lund

Biohydrogen

2009-10-18

'Growing' Hydrogen Fuel from Sunlight

New, green energy production method wins grant money

Chemistry Team Seeks to Use Artificial Photosynthesis and Nanotubes to Generate Hydrogen Fuel with Sunlight

2009-08-20

How Fuel Cells Work

General Motors - Sequal - Hydrogen Fuel Cell Car

Hydrogen + Oxygen = Fuel

2008-12-18

Cheap solar at night? MIT may have answer

'Major discovery' from MIT primed to unleash solar revolution

Scientists mimic essence of plants' energy storage system

2008-10-26

Directory:Penn State Microbial Fuel Cells Produce Hydrogen from Waste Water

2008-06-20

Water-fuel car unveiled in Japan