Hydrogène. Sunlight Into Hydrogen: It Works If You Concentrate. A novel design might be the next big breakthrough in the pursuit of hydrogen from clean sources. University of Delaware doctoral student Erik Koepf’s self-sustaining solar reactor uses mirrors to concentrate sunlight—enough to reach a sizzling 3,000 degrees Fahrenheit. “This is probably the most complex device built by a graduate student in the history of our department,” Ajay Prasad, one of Erik’s advisors, says in a university statement. image via University of Delaware The cylindrical reactor, about 2 feet by 3 feet, weighs 1,750 pounds and contains layers of insulation and ceramic materials.
When heated, hoppers feed the reactant, zinc oxide powder, into the system where it is transformed to pure zinc vapor. The zinc vapor is then reacted with water to form solar hydrogen. Cooling blocks are strategically placed within the reactor to keep motors, a quartz window and the aperture ring at suitable temperatures. A New Leaf: New Catalyst Boosts Artificial Photosynthesis as a Solar Alternative to Fossil Fuel. Sunlight can provide more than enough energy to meet our needs—in theory. In practice, the skies are sometimes covered with clouds—and whether fair or overcast, the sun daily disappears behind the horizon. To get around these limitations, scientists have worked for years on new ways of converting sunlight into chemical energy, artificial forms of photosynthesis that would store solar energy in liquid or gaseous form—a "solar fuel. " For years, they have sought a chemical catalyst that can perform this complex feat of chemical processing.
Now some researchers think they may have found it. Thomas Meyer came upon the solution almost by accident. By combining the two steps and using the same catalyst, Meyer realized that they could reproduce photosynthesis in its entirety. The work is "a very interesting result from the point of view of fundamental science," says Princeton University chemist Andrew Bocarsly, who did not take part in this research. Chemical Engineers Devise New Way to Split Water. Skip to main content Quick Links: We've Changed Our Site Caltech has redesigned its website and the page you are looking for has moved. Please update your bookmarks and click below to go directly to the following areas #EarthWeek 2014: The Caltech Recycling Center was selected for a Best in Pasadena Award. ow.ly/w8Gkq24 Apr @Caltech04.06.2014 Flickr#EarthWeek 2014: 58% of Caltech employees use alternative transportation to commute to campus. ow.ly/w8sG724 Apr @Caltech#LongBeach Selected as Beta Site to Help Test #Earthquake Early Warning System (EEWS) #LAQuake bit.ly/1hrZFvb @USGS @Caltech24 Apr @LongBeachCity04.06.2014 FlickrEngineer Allen E.
CALIFORNIA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY1200 EAST CALIFORNIA BOULEVARD, PASADENA, CALIFORNIA 91125Site content Copyright © 2014 California Institute of Technology. HyperSolar Develops Solar Powered Hydrogen Generator. Clean Power Published on May 26th, 2012 | by Tina Casey Last year the solar company HyperSolar, Inc. filed a patent application for a solar powered system that creates renewable methane gas from water, which it has been testing out at California’s Salton Sea.
Just last week, the company announced that it has completed a proof-of-concept prototype for a solar-powered hydrogen generator, so this looks like a good time to check in and see what they’re up to. Everything you need to know about hydrogen Hydrogen can be produced from plain water through a reaction touched off by electricity. However, it takes a significant amount of energy to split hydrogen atoms from water molecules. If the energy in question is a fossil fuel then hydrogen is a wash in terms of reducing greenhouse gas emissions. An emerging solution is to develop hydrogen production systems that are integrated with solar power, essentially mimicking the natural process of photosynthesis. A little help from hydrogen friends. PNNL Uses Biomimicry to Develop Low Cost Fuel Cell Catalyst. Clean Power Published on June 16th, 2012 | by Tina Casey The next generation of low-cost fuel cells could take your home off the grid and free your car from the gas pump with clean, renewable energy, and researchers at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory have brought us one step closer to that future.
The team has deployed a biomimicry-based hydrogen production process that combines high speed with high energy efficiency, thanks to a catalyst that “lights up like a rocket.” An obstacle for low-cost fuel cells Hydrogen is the most abundant material on the planet, but hydrogen fuel cells are relatively expensive in part because separating hydrogen from water molecules typically involves the use of a pricey platinum catalyst, and partly because it can be an energy-hungry process.
So far, researchers have found ways to make cheaper nickel-based catalysts work more quickly, or use less energy, but not both at the same time. A fast, efficient hydrogen catalyst from biomimicry About the Author. Hydrogen -- Tomorrow's Biofuel? Agriculture Published on May 17th, 2012 | by Joshua S Hill Questions swirl around the idea of bioethanol as an alternative to gasoline for powering transport, but researchers from the University of Birmingham have started creating clean hydrogen from food waste, an idea that could revolutionise the bioenergy industry.
A look at Brazil — the world’s most intensive user of bioethanol — finds that mass-producing bioethanol from sugarcane is not as sustainable in the long-term as would be hoped. Bioethanol generates carbon dioxide as well as agricultural waste. However, creating clean hydrogen from food waste not only uses up that waste, but provides a fuel that is emissions free and can be generated sustainably. “Fuel cells need clean energy to run them. “Bioethanol is the current biofuel of choice in Brazil but our research shows the huge potential for biohydrogen to be the fuel for the future. Source: University of Birmingham Image Source: Sweeter Alternative About the Author. Showing the Way to Improved Water-Splitting Catalysts. PASADENA, Calif. —Scientists and engineers around the world are working to find a way to power the planet using solar-powered fuel cells.
Such green systems would split water during daylight hours, generating hydrogen (H2) that could then be stored and used later to produce water and electricity. But robust catalysts are needed to drive the water-splitting reaction. Platinum catalysts are quite good at this, but platinum is too rare and expensive to scale up for use worldwide. Several cobalt and nickel catalysts have been suggested as cheaper alternatives, but there is still plenty of room for improvement. And no one has been able to determine definitively the mechanism by which the cobalt catalysts work, making it difficult to methodically design and construct improved catalysts. Now chemists at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) have determined the dominant mechanism for these cobalt catalysts.
Gray's group is now working on this latter approach.