Personally I am not a big believer in a hydrogen economy but this did get the interest of our local paper.
fred http://startribune.com/stories/1592/4374132.html Associated Press University reactor shows promise for `hydrogen economy' Researchers at the University of Minnesota say they have built a prototype reactor that produces hydrogen from ethanol so efficiently that it could one day power conventional fuel cells for homes. The technology is cheaper and more efficient than the current commercial method of capturing hydrogen from fuel, which is done with fossil fuels in large refineries, the scientists said. They said the reactor they built is much smaller and simpler and requires less energy. Their technology could be coupled with a fuel cell to generate nearly enough energy to power an average-sized home, according to the scientists, who will publish their findings in the Feb. 13 issue of the magazine Science. ``This points to a way to make renewable hydrogen that may be economical and available,'' said Lanny Schmidt, a chemical engineer who led the study. Gregg Deluga and graduate student James Salge also worked on the project. All three are in the department of chemical engineering and materials science. The men built the reactor, a 2-foot-high apparatus of tubes, valves and wires, in a laboratory on the university's East Bank. The hydrogen-driven fuel cell they envision might be a little larger than a coffee cup. Right now, hydrogen can be made cheaply only in large refineries that use fuels such as natural gas. The new technology holds promise for a ``hydrogen economy'' that would use hydrogen to fuel cars and make electricity. It also holds economic potential for Midwest farmers, who are leaders in the production of corn-based ethanol. A bushel of corn, the researchers said, yields three times as much power if its energy is channeled into hydrogen fuel cells rather than burned with gasoline. Hydrogen, a clean energy source, emits no pollution or greenhouse gases. President Bush supports funding for the development of hydrogen-powered fuel cells that are commercially viable. George Sverdrup, a technology manager at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, said he was encouraged by the research. ``When hydrogen takes a foothold and penetrates the marketplace, it will probably come from a variety of sources and be produced by a variety of techniques,'' he said. ``So this particular advance and technology that Minnesota is reporting on would be one component in a big system.'' While ethanol could be an important part of a hydrogen economy, Sverdrup said it's unlikely corn itself would be enough to support the entire system. The University of Minnesota researchers initially envision people buying ethanol to power the small fuel cell in homes in remote areas where installing power lines isn't feasible. The cell could produce 1 kilowatt of power, nearly enough for an average home. According to their estimate, a gallon of ethanol costing $1 could be used to produce energy for about 4 cents per kilowatt hour. That would be in the ballpark with national figures for the cost of raw energy, said a spokesman for the Edison Electric Institute, a national energy association. ============================================================ Frederick E. Finch Delivery System Manager MINITEX Delivery Services [EMAIL PROTECTED] [EMAIL PROTECTED] (612) 624-3374 Direct 15 Andersen Library (612) 624-4002 Office 222 21st Avenue South (800) 462-5348 WATS Minneapolis MN 55455 (612) 624-4508 FAX Biofuel at Journey to Forever: http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html Biofuels list archives: http://archive.nnytech.net/index.php?list=biofuel Please do NOT send Unsubscribe messages to the list address. To unsubscribe, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/biofuel/ <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
