Water into Hydrogen?
May 21, 2007 Leave a comment
CNET reports Purdue scientists have sorted a way to convert water into hydrogen.
Yes: we did this in grade school with a battery, two test tubes and a fish tank. Remember? The hydrogen tube would ‘pop’ turned it right-side up toward a lit match.
As if anyone in grade school could avoid getting suspended for lighting a match these days. I digress.
The grade school conversion method consumed more energy than the resulting hydrogen produces, hence is not a economically-feasible project in itself.
But what if we complete the deforestation of the planet and need the oxygen? I digress again.
These sharp cookies are doing this conversion by adding gallium and aluminum (as opposed solely by applying an expensive electrical current) to the water; converting into hydrogen in real time. This might just be precursor to a commercial implementation. From the article:
The process relies on the use of aluminum pellets, which are mixed into liquid gallium (a metal that liquefies at just over room temperature) to produce a liquid aluminum-gallium. When water is added to the compound, the aluminum reacts with the oxygen to form a gel along with free-standing hydrogen, which can be collected and used to power a fuel cell. According to EDN, an Indiana-based start-up already has a license to commercialize the technology.
Read the entire article: "Eureka! Purdue scientists turn water into hydrogen".
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