New aluminum-rich alloy produces hydrogen on-demand for large-scale uses

[kentauros]

Purdue University engineers have developed a new aluminum-rich alloy that produces hydrogen by splitting water and is economically competitive with conventional fuels for transportation and power generation.

"We now have an economically viable process for producing hydrogen on-demand for vehicles, electrical generating stations and other applications," said Jerry Woodall, a distinguished professor of electrical and computer engineering at Purdue who invented the process.

The new alloy contains 95 percent aluminum and 5 percent of an alloy that is made of the metals gallium, indium and tin. Because the new alloy contains significantly less of the more expensive gallium than previous forms of the alloy, hydrogen can be produced less expensively, he said.

When immersed in water, the alloy splits water molecules into hydrogen and oxygen, which immediately reacts with the aluminum to produce aluminum oxide, also called alumina, which can be recycled back into aluminum. Recycling aluminum from nearly pure alumina is less expensive than mining the aluminum-containing ore bauxite, making the technology more competitive with other forms of energy production, Woodall said.

New aluminum-rich alloy produces hydrogen on-demand for large-scale uses
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I hope this gets developed. It looks like one of the best methods I've seen yet. I have to wonder if it could be used as a form of desalination as well...

[cloudythescribbler]

1. This is an absolutely crucial development that belongs in GENERAL DISCUSSION also nt

[phantom power]

2. I wonder where the energy comes from. Splitting H2O is endothermic.

[kentauros]

3. I guess you'll have to ask the Purdue scientists about that.

I haven't a clue. I noticed the story has a comments area though :)

[mkultra]

4. i think the chemical pathway to electrolysis

requires less heat in general and if done in small amounts over time to fill a cache tank, the ambient heat could be used by the reaction. The tank would be awful cold though, maybe that could be used for AC :)

[OKIsItJustMe]

5. On the other hand, I suspect that oxidization of aluminium is exothermic (right?)

You can find an interesting presentation here:
http://hydrogen.ecn.purdue.edu/

The recent development is a reformulation, requiring less gallium, which according to the presentation was a research goal:

[mkultra]

9. that may be true, if so , thats the answer.

[phantom power]

6. All right. My love of catalyst discovery aside, this really pisses me off:

The Purdue researchers are developing a method to create briquettes of the alloy that could be placed in a tank to react with water and produce hydrogen on-demand. Such a technology would eliminate the need to store and transport hydrogen, two potential stumbling blocks in developing a hydrogen economy, Woodall said.

This is a thermodynamically bogus claim, and I have a hard time believing that a Purdue professor isn't well aware of it. You simply can't use this for end-point applications. If you have an end-point energy source to split the water, it's a thermodynamic waste to use that energy to split water, and then burn it again.

Notice that isn't saying that their catalyst isn't useful. But it seems to be the fashion these days to toss-off a sop to the public's desperate fantasies about "running their cars on WATER!!111111!!"

It's pandering, pure and simple.

[OKIsItJustMe]

7. Cool your jets

Don't count on an article written from a press release to give you the whole story.

Check out his research page. http://hydrogen.ecn.purdue.edu/
Drop him e-mail if you like. [e-mail]

He's not claiming to have created a perpetual motion device.

[phantom power]

8. Aha. It's not just a catalyst. It's a "catalyst plus reactant" package.

Aluminum is what embodies the energy.

I take it back, it's thermodynamically fine.

[mkultra]

10. lol, ok then

Start the machines back up.