Showing posts with label hydrogen. Show all posts
Showing posts with label hydrogen. Show all posts
Sunday, November 6, 2022
Friday, July 22, 2022
boron nitride hydrogen storage
boron nitride hydrogen storage
Making oil refineries greener
It is not just future fuels that this technology can help deliver. Currently, oil refineries use a process called "cryogenic distillation" to separate crude oil components such as petrol and cooking gas. This is an energy-intensive process that accounts for about 15 percent of global energy demand.
The researchers are confident that their powder-based gas separation is effective even for crude oil components. Under test conditions, their setup required 76.8 KJ/s of energy to separate and store 1000L of gases. This is a 90 percent reduction in the amount of energy being currently spent on 'cryogenic distillation', the press release claims.
So far, the research team has only attempted to use its method to separate a few liters of gases at a time. They now plan to test the technology at scale.
The findings of their research were published in the journal Materials Today.
Abstract:
Light hydrocarbon olefin and paraffin gas mixtures are produced during natural gas or petrochemical processing. The petrochemical industry separates hydrocarbon gas mixtures by using an energy-intensive cryogenic distillation process, which accounts for 15% of global energy consumption [1]. The development of a new energy-saving separation process is needed to reduce the energy consumption. In this research, we develop a green and low energy mechanochemical separation process in which boron nitride (BN) powders were ball milled at room temperature in the atmosphere of an alkyne or olefin and paraffin mixture gas. BN selectively adsorbs a much greater quantity of alkyne and olefin gas over paraffin gases, and thus the paraffin gas is purified after the ball milling process. The adsorbed olefin gas can be recovered from the BN via a low-temperature heating process. The mechanochemical process produces extremely high uptake capacities of alkyne and olefin gases in the BN (708 cm3/g for acetylene (C2H2) and 1048 cm3/g for ethylene (C2H4)) respectively. To the best of our knowledge, assisted by ball milling, BN nanosheets have achieved the highest uptake capacities for alkyne/olefin gases, which are superior to all other materials reported so far. Chemical analysis reveals that large amounts of olefin gases were quasi-chemically adsorbed on the in-situ formed BN nanosheets via C–N bond formation, whereas small amount of paraffin gases was physically adsorbed on BN nanoparticles. This scalable mechanochemical process has great potential as an industrial separation method and can realize substantial energy savings.
Friday, April 8, 2022
DIY Safe Hydrogen Storage
How to make graphitic carbon nitride from Urea and Table sugar in a Kiln. to 200C to dry and react at 550C.
Stores 10% by weight hydrogen. And needs 300C to release gas. I assume to capture gas as well.
Tuesday, November 23, 2021
Saturday, December 26, 2020
Hydrogen energy storage in AMMONIA: Fantastic future or fossil fuel scam?
Steam methane reforming is currently used to convert methane to hydrogen using high pressure steam, and generates a lot of waste CO2.
Friday, November 28, 2014
Scientists: Graphene's Weak Spot Could Revolutionize Fuel Cell Technology
Free Energy
www.businessinsider.com/r-ultra-strong-graphenes-weak-spot-could-be-key-to-fuel-cells-2014-11
LONDON (Reuters) - In a discovery that experts say could revolutionize fuel cell technology, scientists in Britain have found that graphene, the world's thinnest, strongest and most impermeable material, can allow protons to pass through it.
The researchers, led by the Nobel prize winner and discoverer of graphene Andre Geim of Manchester University, said their finding also raised the possibility that, in future, graphene membranes could be used to "sieve" hydrogen gas from the atmosphere to then generate electricity.
"We are very excited about this result because it opens a whole new area of promising applications for graphene in clean energy harvesting and hydrogen-based technologies," said Geim's co-researcher on the study, Marcelo Lozada-Hidalgo.
Graphene, the thinnest material on earth at just one atom thick, and 200 times stronger than steel, was first isolated in 2004 by Geim and fellow researchers, who were awarded a Nobel Prize in 2010 for their work.
It is renowned for being impermeable to all gases and liquids, giving it the potential for a range of uses such as corrosion-proof coatings, impermeable packaging and even super-thin condoms.
Knowing that graphene is impermeable to even the smallest of atoms, hydrogen, Geim's team decided to test whether protons, or hydrogen atoms stripped of their electrons, were also repelled. Their work was published in the journal Nature.
Against expectations, they found the protons could pass through the ultra-strong material fairly easily, especially at raised temperatures and if the graphene films were covered with nanoparticles such as platinum, which acted as a catalyst.
Flickr/ UCL Mathematical and Physical Sciences
Geim and Lozada-Hidalgo, explaining their finding in a telephone briefing for reporters, said this meant graphene could in future be used in proton-conducting membranes, a crucial component of fuel cell technology.
Fuel cells, used in some modern cars, use oxygen and hydrogen as fuel and convert the input chemical energy into electricity. But a major problem is that the fuels leak across the existing proton membranes, "poisoning" the process and reducing the cells' efficiency -- something Geim said could be overcome using graphene.
The team also found that graphene membranes could be used to extract hydrogen from the atmosphere, suggesting the possibility of combining them with fuel cells to make mobile electric generators powered just by the tiny amounts of hydrogen in the air.
"Essentially, you pump your fuel from the atmosphere and get electricity out of it," Geim said. "Our (study) provides proof that this kind of device is possible."
www.businessinsider.com/r-ultra-strong-graphenes-weak-spot-could-be-key-to-fuel-cells-2014-11
LONDON (Reuters) - In a discovery that experts say could revolutionize fuel cell technology, scientists in Britain have found that graphene, the world's thinnest, strongest and most impermeable material, can allow protons to pass through it.
The researchers, led by the Nobel prize winner and discoverer of graphene Andre Geim of Manchester University, said their finding also raised the possibility that, in future, graphene membranes could be used to "sieve" hydrogen gas from the atmosphere to then generate electricity.
"We are very excited about this result because it opens a whole new area of promising applications for graphene in clean energy harvesting and hydrogen-based technologies," said Geim's co-researcher on the study, Marcelo Lozada-Hidalgo.
Graphene, the thinnest material on earth at just one atom thick, and 200 times stronger than steel, was first isolated in 2004 by Geim and fellow researchers, who were awarded a Nobel Prize in 2010 for their work.
It is renowned for being impermeable to all gases and liquids, giving it the potential for a range of uses such as corrosion-proof coatings, impermeable packaging and even super-thin condoms.
Knowing that graphene is impermeable to even the smallest of atoms, hydrogen, Geim's team decided to test whether protons, or hydrogen atoms stripped of their electrons, were also repelled. Their work was published in the journal Nature.
Against expectations, they found the protons could pass through the ultra-strong material fairly easily, especially at raised temperatures and if the graphene films were covered with nanoparticles such as platinum, which acted as a catalyst.
Flickr/ UCL Mathematical and Physical SciencesGeim and Lozada-Hidalgo, explaining their finding in a telephone briefing for reporters, said this meant graphene could in future be used in proton-conducting membranes, a crucial component of fuel cell technology.
Fuel cells, used in some modern cars, use oxygen and hydrogen as fuel and convert the input chemical energy into electricity. But a major problem is that the fuels leak across the existing proton membranes, "poisoning" the process and reducing the cells' efficiency -- something Geim said could be overcome using graphene.
The team also found that graphene membranes could be used to extract hydrogen from the atmosphere, suggesting the possibility of combining them with fuel cells to make mobile electric generators powered just by the tiny amounts of hydrogen in the air.
"Essentially, you pump your fuel from the atmosphere and get electricity out of it," Geim said. "Our (study) provides proof that this kind of device is possible."
Saturday, June 21, 2014
Thursday, May 1, 2014
Breaking up water: Controlling molecular vibrations to produce hydrogen
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/05/140501142227.htm
Breaking up water: Controlling molecular vibrations to produce hydrogen
Date:
May 1, 2014
Source:
Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne
Summary:
Converting methane into hydrogen is crucial for clean energy and agriculture. This reaction requires water and a catalyst. Scientists have now used a novel laser approach to control specific vibrations of a water molecule, which can affect the efficiency of the reaction.
Natural gas (methane) can be converted into hydrogen (H2), which is used in clean energy, synthetic fertilizers, and many other chemicals. The reaction requires water and a nickel catalyst. Methane and water molecules attach on the catalyst's surface, where they dissociate into their atomic components. These then recombine to form different compounds like H2 and CO. Previous research has focused mainly on understanding how methane dissociates, but experimental constraints have limited research into water dissociation. Publishing inScience, EPFL scientists have used lasers to determine for the first time how specific vibrations in a water molecule affect its ability to dissociate. The experimental results were used to optimize theoretical models for water dissociation (University of New Mexico), which can impact the design of future catalysts.
Methane is widely used on an industrial scale to produce hydrogen, which is used as a clean fuel and as raw material to produce ammonia used for synthetic fertilizers. The process used is referred to as 'steam-reforming' because it involves methane gas reacting with water steam. This reaction requires a metal catalyst that allows the molecules to dissociate and recombine efficiently. But while the details of methane dissociation have been studied for over a decade, the way water molecules separate has remained elusive.
Fine-tuning vibrations with lasers
The team of Rainer Beck at EPFL, have shown that water dissociation depends strongly on the internal vibrations between its hydrogen and oxygen atoms. In a molecule, the atoms are not static but instead may vibrate in different ways. In a water molecule, the two oxygen atoms can vibrate like a scissor ("scissoring"), or can stretch back and forth either together ("symmetrical stretching") or in turns ("asymmetrical stretching"). "These 'stretches' between the oxygen and the hydrogen atoms play a big role in how well or poorly the water molecule can dissociate on a catalyst," says Beck.
Controlling different types of vibrations is the key to understanding a water molecule's ability to dissociate under mild conditions. Employing nickel as a catalyst -- commonly used in steam reformation -- the team used lasers to precisely control how water molecules are being excited. "If you heat up the system with e.g. a flame, you excite all the degrees of freedom at the same time," explains Beck. "You also increase its kinetic energy, so all the water molecules hit the nickel surface at higher speeds, but you have no control over the individual vibrations of the atoms. With a laser, we can selectively excite one type of vibration, which allows us to measure one energy state at a time."
The data showed that the degree of stretching vibrations between the hydrogen and oxygen atoms in a water molecule determines its ability to dissociate react on the catalyst. This happens because the laser adds energy to the water molecules, increasing vibrations to the point where they break up on the catalyst's surface. This point is called a 'transition state', where the water molecules are ready to react. "Ideally, we want to deform the molecules before the hit the surface, in a way that we have biased the structure towards the transition state," says Beck. "This is why laser-selected vibrations are more efficient that just heating up the entire system: we are putting the energy where it needs to be to break the water molecule's bonds."
From experiment to theory
The unprecedented ability to excite specific types of vibrations allowed theoreticians at the University of New Mexico to calculate all the forces between the atoms and the nickel catalyst surface, and simulate what happens when the water molecule hits the catalyst surface with each type of vibration. Without these experimental measurements, such calculations would lack accuracy.
"With our data, the theoreticians can directly compare their model to the experimental data one vibration type at a time, which is far more accurate," says Beck. "This allows for the optimization of dissociation models that can then better predict how other molecules than water or methane will react on a given surface. Our state-resolved experiments are meant to guide the development of predictive theory."
This optimization of theoretical models can also lead to the faster and more efficient development of catalysts for a range of industrial and commercial chemical reactions. As Beck explains: "You can use a computer model to e.g. vary the spacing of the atoms of the catalyst or change the structure of its surface. This is a cheaper or more efficient way to find a good catalyst, rather than having to do trial-and-error experiments. But in order to trust theoretical model, we need this data to test them against."
Story Source:
The above story is based on materials provided by Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne. Note: Materials may be edited for content and length.
Journal Reference:
- P. M. Hundt, B. Jiang, M. E. van Reijzen, H. Guo, R. D. Beck. Vibrationally Promoted Dissociation of Water on Ni(111). Science, 2014; 344 (6183): 504 DOI:10.1126/science.1251277
Thursday, December 29, 2011
Souped up photosynthesis produces H2
from: http://www.abc.net.au/science/articles/2011/12/19/3392740.htm
Scientists have taken photosynthesis to the next level, by creating a tiny solar-powered device that works twice as fast as nature to produce hydrogen biofuel.
But the researchers add further research is needed before we can start using it to fuel our cars.
Hydrogen is seen as an alternative fuel source because it burns to produce water as waste. However, sources of hydrogen are difficult to tap.
Some scientists are turning to biomimicry, designing devices based on photosynthesis to use light to split water into oxygen and hydrogen.
"I think there's good prospects for using some of these biological photosynthesis systems to produce biofuels for the future," says Professor Donald Bryant, of Pennsylvania State University and co-author of a paper appearing inProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
In nature, a light-capturing enzyme known as Photosystem I uses light energy to energise electrons. Those electrons are moved, relatively slowly, to another enzyme known as FNR. The FNR enzyme combines these electrons with a biological molecule (NADP+) and a hydrogen ion to produce an energy-storage molecule called NADPH, which is used to make sugars.
To make their biofuel device the reserachers at Pennsylvania State University replaced the FNR enzyme with hydrogenase, an enzyme that combines two electrons with two hydrogen ions to make molecular hydrogen.
To increase its efficiency the hydrogenase was 'tethered' directly to the Photosystem I enzyme with a carbon chain. This chain, which acts like a molecular wire, speeds up the movement of electrons between enzymes, boosting hydrogen production.
Useful for other enzymes
Lead author of the study, Dr Carolyn Lubner, also of Pennsylvania State University, says the design can be adapted for other enzymes.
"For example, we could potentially use formic acid dehydrogenase to make formic acid, which is also a biofuel," she says.
Beyond biofuel, using light to inject single electrons one by one into enzymes gives scientists a unique ability to study the process of photosynthesis, says Bryant.
"For example, the hydrogenase enzyme has to accumulate two electrons, and they come one at a time - even in natural settings," he says. "What happens when one electron comes, and where it goes, is something that is currently unknown."
Lubner adds that "the more insight we can gain into enzymes found in nature, that make compounds ... such as hydrogen or ethanol, the better we can design mimics of them."
Associate Professor John Stride, of the University of New South Wales, says it makes sense to look to nature when designing new processes. "Nature has had millennia to solve problems, and photosynthesis is very efficient."
"One can imagine a biogenerator of hydrogen fuel that works just by using sunlight," he says. "Though they do have to feed it sodium ascorbate [vitamin C], so it's not quite energy for nothing."
Bryant says that while they used ascorbate in this experiement, "We can feed it electrons from anywhere, including the ground. We just have to have electrons from 'somewhere'."
Saturday, November 14, 2009
Researchers Turn Algae Into High-Temperature Hydrogen Source
From Red Orbit:
Researchers Turn Algae Into High-Temperature Hydrogen Source
Platinum-catalyzed photosynthetic process creates high-yield sustainable source of hydrogen
In the quest to make hydrogen as a clean alternative fuel source, researchers have been stymied about how to create usable hydrogen that is clean and sustainable without relying on an intensive, high-energy process that outweighs the benefits of not using petroleum to power vehicles.
New findings from a team of researchers from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, and Oak Ridge National Laboratory, however, show that photosynthesis – the process by which plants regenerate using energy from the sun – may function as that clean, sustainable source of hydrogen.
The team, led by Barry Bruce, a professor of biochemistry and cellular and molecular biology at UT Knoxville, found that the inner machinery of photosynthesis can be isolated from certain algae and, when coupled with a platinum catalyst, is able to produce a steady supply of hydrogen when exposed to light.
The findings are outlined in this week's issue of the journal Nature Nanotechnology.
Bruce, who serves as the associate director for UT Knoxville's Sustainable Energy and Education Research Center, notes that we already get most of our energy from photosynthesis, albeit indirectly.
The fossil fuels of today were once, millions of years ago, energy-rich plant matter whose growth also was supported by the sun via the process of photosynthesis. There have been efforts to shorten this process, namely through the creation of biomass fuels that harvest plants and covert their hydrocarbons into ethanol or biodiesel.
"Biofuel as many people think of it now -- harvesting plants and converting their woody material into sugars which get distilled into combustible liquids -- probably cannot replace gasoline as a major source of fuel," said Bruce. "We found that our process is more direct and has the potential to create a much larger quantity of fuel using much less energy, which has a wide range of benefits."
A major benefit of Bruce's method is that it cuts out two key middlemen in the process of using plants' solar conversion abilities. The first middle man is the time required for a plant to capture solar energy, grow and reproduce, then die and eventually become fossil fuel. The second middle man is energy, in this case the substantial amount of energy required to cultivate, harvest and process plant material into biofuel. Bypassing these two options and directly using the plant or algae's built-in solar system to create clean fuel can be a major step forward.
Other scientists have studied the possibility of using photosynthesis as a hydrogen source, but have not yet found a way to make the reaction occur efficiently at the high temperatures that would exist in a large system designed to harness sunlight.
Bruce and his colleagues found that by starting with a thermophilic blue-green algae, which favors warmer temperatures, they could sustain the reaction at temperatures as high as 55 degrees C, or 131 degrees F. That is roughly the temperature in arid deserts with high solar irradiation, where the process would be most productive. They also found the process was more than 10 times more efficient as the temperature increased.
"As both a dean and a chemist, I am very impressed with this recent work by Professor Bruce and his colleagues," said Bruce Bursten, dean of UT Knoxville's College of Arts and Sciences. "Hydrogen has the potential to be the cleanest fuel alternative to petroleum, with no greenhouse gas production, and we need new innovations that allow for hydrogen to be readily produced from non-hydrocarbon sources. Professor Bruce and his team have provided a superb example of how excellence in basic research can contribute significantly to technological and societal advances."
Researchers Turn Algae Into High-Temperature Hydrogen Source
Platinum-catalyzed photosynthetic process creates high-yield sustainable source of hydrogen
In the quest to make hydrogen as a clean alternative fuel source, researchers have been stymied about how to create usable hydrogen that is clean and sustainable without relying on an intensive, high-energy process that outweighs the benefits of not using petroleum to power vehicles.
New findings from a team of researchers from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, and Oak Ridge National Laboratory, however, show that photosynthesis – the process by which plants regenerate using energy from the sun – may function as that clean, sustainable source of hydrogen.
The team, led by Barry Bruce, a professor of biochemistry and cellular and molecular biology at UT Knoxville, found that the inner machinery of photosynthesis can be isolated from certain algae and, when coupled with a platinum catalyst, is able to produce a steady supply of hydrogen when exposed to light.
The findings are outlined in this week's issue of the journal Nature Nanotechnology.
Bruce, who serves as the associate director for UT Knoxville's Sustainable Energy and Education Research Center, notes that we already get most of our energy from photosynthesis, albeit indirectly.
The fossil fuels of today were once, millions of years ago, energy-rich plant matter whose growth also was supported by the sun via the process of photosynthesis. There have been efforts to shorten this process, namely through the creation of biomass fuels that harvest plants and covert their hydrocarbons into ethanol or biodiesel.
"Biofuel as many people think of it now -- harvesting plants and converting their woody material into sugars which get distilled into combustible liquids -- probably cannot replace gasoline as a major source of fuel," said Bruce. "We found that our process is more direct and has the potential to create a much larger quantity of fuel using much less energy, which has a wide range of benefits."
A major benefit of Bruce's method is that it cuts out two key middlemen in the process of using plants' solar conversion abilities. The first middle man is the time required for a plant to capture solar energy, grow and reproduce, then die and eventually become fossil fuel. The second middle man is energy, in this case the substantial amount of energy required to cultivate, harvest and process plant material into biofuel. Bypassing these two options and directly using the plant or algae's built-in solar system to create clean fuel can be a major step forward.
Other scientists have studied the possibility of using photosynthesis as a hydrogen source, but have not yet found a way to make the reaction occur efficiently at the high temperatures that would exist in a large system designed to harness sunlight.
Bruce and his colleagues found that by starting with a thermophilic blue-green algae, which favors warmer temperatures, they could sustain the reaction at temperatures as high as 55 degrees C, or 131 degrees F. That is roughly the temperature in arid deserts with high solar irradiation, where the process would be most productive. They also found the process was more than 10 times more efficient as the temperature increased.
"As both a dean and a chemist, I am very impressed with this recent work by Professor Bruce and his colleagues," said Bruce Bursten, dean of UT Knoxville's College of Arts and Sciences. "Hydrogen has the potential to be the cleanest fuel alternative to petroleum, with no greenhouse gas production, and we need new innovations that allow for hydrogen to be readily produced from non-hydrocarbon sources. Professor Bruce and his team have provided a superb example of how excellence in basic research can contribute significantly to technological and societal advances."
Monday, October 19, 2009
Producing hydrogen from aluminum & water
I am just posting stuff from old E-mails that may be interesting for some people.
Sorry this is not getting my full scrutiny.
http://www.physorg.com/
http://hardware.slashdot.org/
Method for producing hydrogen by adding water to an alloy of aluminum and gallium. The hydrogen could then be used to run an internal combustion engine.
------------------------------
http://www.green-trust.org/
Beverage Can (aluminum) Hydrogen
------------------------------
http://www.hydrogenappliances.
The super battery called Aluminum - The unseen super-battery of the future.
ALUMINUM DATA - (Something to think about??????)
1 gram of Al = 0.0370 moles
Each mole Al yields 3 moles of electrons.
0.0370 moles x 3 x 96500 C/mole = 10700 Coulombs
An Amp is a Coulomb per second, so one Amp flow would last 10700s.
10700 amp-s / 3600 s/hr =~ 3 Amp-Hours per gram of aluminum.
At 14g per beer can, that comes to about 42 Amp-Hrs per can!!!
At 2 volts, that's about 300 kJ per can! And you thought only the beer kicked butt !!! : )
A 20 lb. slab of aluminum has enough energy to power an electric car for over 500 miles.
Aluminum is one of the most abundant metals on the surface of the earth. Aluminum is not expensive because it is rare. It is expensive because its takes so much electrical power to deoxidize it.
All this electrical power is now caught in a solid form as Aluminum metal. (Aluminum is a powerful battery)
When aluminum is dissolved most of the electrical power that was used to create it can be easily recaptured. The next time you pick up a roll of aluminum foil you will realize that you are actually holding a lot of potential horse power in the palm of your hands.
Aluminum is produced by corporations that buy electricity at well under a penny per KWH making aluminum the largest untapped source of potential cheap power.
(At least for the short run, the Aluminum energy frenzy will drive the price of aluminum up as all of the old aluminum reserves are stripped of their electric energy potential while being dissolved away in electrolytic cells thus turning it back into Bauxite)
When you buy aluminum you are mainly paying for the electricity that made it.
Electricity that was bought at bottom of the barrel wholesale pricing.
Sorry this is not getting my full scrutiny.
http://www.physorg.com/
http://hardware.slashdot.org/
Method for producing hydrogen by adding water to an alloy of aluminum and gallium. The hydrogen could then be used to run an internal combustion engine.
------------------------------
http://www.green-trust.org/
Beverage Can (aluminum) Hydrogen
------------------------------
http://www.hydrogenappliances.
The super battery called Aluminum - The unseen super-battery of the future.
ALUMINUM DATA - (Something to think about??????)
1 gram of Al = 0.0370 moles
Each mole Al yields 3 moles of electrons.
0.0370 moles x 3 x 96500 C/mole = 10700 Coulombs
An Amp is a Coulomb per second, so one Amp flow would last 10700s.
10700 amp-s / 3600 s/hr =~ 3 Amp-Hours per gram of aluminum.
At 14g per beer can, that comes to about 42 Amp-Hrs per can!!!
At 2 volts, that's about 300 kJ per can! And you thought only the beer kicked butt !!! : )
A 20 lb. slab of aluminum has enough energy to power an electric car for over 500 miles.
Aluminum is one of the most abundant metals on the surface of the earth. Aluminum is not expensive because it is rare. It is expensive because its takes so much electrical power to deoxidize it.
All this electrical power is now caught in a solid form as Aluminum metal. (Aluminum is a powerful battery)
When aluminum is dissolved most of the electrical power that was used to create it can be easily recaptured. The next time you pick up a roll of aluminum foil you will realize that you are actually holding a lot of potential horse power in the palm of your hands.
Aluminum is produced by corporations that buy electricity at well under a penny per KWH making aluminum the largest untapped source of potential cheap power.
(At least for the short run, the Aluminum energy frenzy will drive the price of aluminum up as all of the old aluminum reserves are stripped of their electric energy potential while being dissolved away in electrolytic cells thus turning it back into Bauxite)
When you buy aluminum you are mainly paying for the electricity that made it.
Electricity that was bought at bottom of the barrel wholesale pricing.
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