From the “Chinese are already working on a copy” department:
Researchers from the University of Antwerp and KU Leuven (University of Leuven), Belgium, have succeeded in developing a process that purifies air and, at the same time, generates power. The device need only be exposed to light in order to function.
“We use a small device with two rooms separated by a membrane”, explains professor Sammy Verbruggen (UAntwerp/KU Leuven). “Air is purified on one side, while on the other side hydrogen gas is produced from a part of the degradation products. This hydrogen gas can be stored and used later as fuel, as is already being done in some hydrogen buses, for example. “
In this way, the researchers respond to two major social needs: clean air and alternative energy production. The heart of the solution lies at the membrane level, where the researchers use specific nanomaterials.
“These catalysts are capable of producing hydrogen gas and breaking down air pollution”, explains professor Verbruggen. “In the past, these cells were mostly used to extract hydrogen from water. We have now discovered that this is also possible, and even more efficient, with polluted air.”
CREDIT UAntwerpen and KU Leuven
It seems to be a complex process, but it is not: the device must only be exposed to light. The researchers’ goal is to be able to use sunlight, as the processes underlying the technology are similar to those found in solar panels. The difference here is that electricity is not generated directly, but rather that air is purified while the generated power is stored as hydrogen gas.
“We are currently working on a scale of only a few square centimeters. At a later stage, we would like to scale up our technology to make the process industrially applicable. We are also working on improving our materials so we can use sunlight more efficiently to trigger the reactions. “
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Device looks intriguing. Into which of the two ports do they pour the taxpayers subsidies?
“The researchers’ goal is to be able to use sunlight”
Wouldn’t that be hard in a heavily polluted place? Like, oh, say Shanghai (see pic)?
That’s what I would like to know.
Great observation, Ms. Skolaut!
http://vps.templar.co.uk/Cartoons%20and%20Politics/117322.strip.gif
Says it all really
+1! 🙂
Agree, it says too much about the research that we tax payers are forced to fuND via our incompetent government. Obama hired people to write contracts not to vet the likely value of the request for funds. I know because I spoke with one of them about one such contract. Wehen we worked with the DOE on coal liquefaction we wrote monthly progress reports and a final report. Today I have not been able to get such reports, just read propaganda.
Euphoria: That brief period after you think of a great idea but before you realize what is wrong with it.
The more you know about hydrogen the more you realize it makes a lousy transportation fuel.
China could substantially mitigate their serious pollution problem by incorporating precipitators & scrubbers on coal plants, and catalytic converters on vehicles like in the U.S.
See essay Hydrogen Hype in ebook Blowing Smoke for all themproblems of hydrogen as a transportation fuel. From an energy climate perspective, better of buying a Prius.
Maybe they can start cleaning the air in Brussels.
The Chinese are the factory of the world. The build most of the electric cars now, elecric scooters, solar panels, wind mills, you name it. They are the biggest producer of green shit in the world. They don’t need no Belgian Tech.. Within 15 years they will clean everything up just as we did in the seventies and eighties.
Only the sand and dust clouds from the Gobi Desert, no solution for that natural phenomena.
Catalysts can only facilitate exothermic reactions like combustion. They cannot make endothermic reactions (like photosynthesis) happen.
The catalyst of photosynthesis is chlorophyll, at the core of which is a magnesium ion.
Chlorophyll a formula:
C55H72O5N4Mg
Mn manganese, actually
True,also they cannot change the laws of thermodynamics or chemistry, there is no free lunch.
I want to now how they get hydrogen out of ozone, sulfur dioxide, and NOx’s, because if they can do that, I want them to skip the hydrogen and just convert the pollution to something useful like gold or platinum.
Magic eightball says it’s a slight variation of self-cleaning glass; a coating of titanium doxide catalyses atmospheric water vapor into hydrogen and a hydroxide ion in the presence of UV in sunlight. the hydroxide ion would very aggressively oxidise any organics in the air. This glass is commercially available from Plinkington
Cool. Wonder how long the microscopic coating lasts.
When did hydrogen become a pollutant? What happened/s to the C/CO2?
Another low power density dream- hundreds of kilograms of hardware to harvest 1 watt or so of hydrogen that needs 10 watts of power to compress it enough to store in a vulnerable, explosive, high pressure container.
What could go wrong?
oops 1 watt/M^2
The May issue of power magazine has an interesting related article starting on page 22 titled “Whatever Happened to Fuel Cells” giving a review of the history of fuel cells, which make no sense to me. It appears that the only possible use is to chase CCS which is of course questionable goal in my mind. Note that ExxonMobil is involved in one effort probably as goaded by Obama mandates
http://www.powermag.com/whatever-happened-to-fuel-cells/
“In October, FCE and ExxonMobil announced that they were deploying a pilot test at Southern Co.’s Plant Barry in Alabama to gather data for the development of a large-scale test using flue gas from both coal and natural gas exhaust streams. The Department of Energy, which has already been supporting FCE’s research into coal-plant CCS, is also a partner in the project. That announcement drew additional attention, with other companies in the U.S. and Canada reaching out to FCE about possible CCS applications, not just in power generation but additional fields such as oil and gas processing, cement manufacturing, and steel mills.
According to Tony Leo, FCE’s vice president of applications and advanced technologies who spoke to POWER in March, FCE and ExxonMobil will be working on the initial testing and engineering for the next nine to 12 months, with an aim of beginning construction in 2018 and starting up in late 2018 or 2019. Leo said the approach does not vary that much whether coal or natural gas flue gas is used.
“Because there is so much cleanup of the flue gas in a modern coal plant, the primary differences are just that the coal flue gas is at ambient temperature but has a higher CO2 concentration, which make it easier to capture,” he said. “But because our fuel cell is a high-temperature system, the hotter flue gas from a gas turbine means we can capture thermal energy from it. So there are pluses and minuses for both.”
ExxonMobil has not been shy about their enthusiasm for the partnership. Vijay Swarup, vice president for research and development, called the technology a “game changer” for CCS when it was first announced. As a sign of how seriously the company is taking things, new CEO Darren Woods called out the project as one of his priorities for the company’s future in a February 23 blog post. “ExxonMobil is investing heavily in CCS, including research in a novel technology that uses fuel cells that could make CCS more affordable and expand its use.”
A Path to Profits?
Fuel cells remain a relatively expensive means of generating power, and repeated stumbles by some fuel-cell companies make it clear the sector is still in search of a profitable niche. Could it be CCS? Thus far, no other CCS technology comes close to offering what fuel cells could, with all other approaches being parasitic drains—sometimes very large ones—on generation. If FCE and ExxonMobil can make it work cost-effectively, CCS could be the “killer app” fuel cells have been seeking for decades. ■”
Ozone reacts with water to produce hydrogen peroxide, which does a terrific job of cleaning the atmosphere — and with no assistance from the self-appointed, self-self-aggrandizing “stewards” of Earth, homo simian.
Sounds like a great set up for automobiles. Use a battery and electric motor to get up to speed. Then create hydrogen fuel from the ambient air flow across the fuel creating device to power the internal combustion engine. Then direct the engines exhaust through the fuel generating device to increase efficiency even more. Then direct that clean air to blow on a sail and you got a winner! Add a magic carpet for even greater effect!
Try this
http://www.freakingnews.com/Flying-Machine-Pictures-20108.asp
Dear Belgian scientists,
What air pollutants containing hydrogen your gadget removes? Hydrogen sulfide? Methane? These are trace gases. If you want to remove methane from air, get it from cow’s fart and your toilet’s septic tank. At least these are concentrated sources of methane