Posted on 11/06/2020 5:37:58 PM PST by Jonty30
Many industries use heat-intensive processes that generally require the burning of fossil fuels, but a surprising green fuel alternative is emerging in the form of metal powders. Ground very fine, cheap iron powder burns readily at high temperatures, releasing energy as it oxidizes in a process that emits no carbon and produces easily collectable rust, or iron oxide, as its only emission.
(Excerpt) Read more at newatlas.com ...
I know that it is probably an energy loser, but liberals don't care about costs in their ideals. I just think it's different.
Finally a use for old cruise ships and oil tankers.
Real “Iron City” beer!
Metal powders can be quite explosive. How safe is this process?
Iron is never found in its elemental metal form in nature. It is nearly always found as a mineral oxide. It is then reduced (oxide removed) through smelting in a furnace. So burning iron is simply reversing the process by oxidizing it again. But this is not necessarily clean. The issue then becomes where did the energy come from to smelt the iron ore? Same issue as with electric cars - where did the energy come from to charge the battery? Coal? natural gas? nuclear?
“...cheap iron powder burns readily at high temperatures...”
What are you burning to get the temperature that high?
The iron powder. That is the fuel source. When you ignite it, it burns at a high temperature.
Produces no *DIRECT* co2. The iron DID use coke in its production. Nice try, though..
Oxidization is what creates the temperature. They pulverize the iron into powder and burn it. You are left with a pile of iron oxide that is then turned back into iron, through electricity. Then repulverized and then reburned.
You can do this basically endlessly, with only a minimal loss over time.
“The iron powder. That is the fuel source. When you ignite it, it burns at a high temperature.”
Oh, okay. Interesting fuel cycle - iron ore to iron powder to iron oxide, etc. I wonder if there’s really a net gain.
Why don’t they just burn manure, that way they could be honest and say their green story is bullshit.
They wouldn’t be manufacturing iron just to burn it, this is for scrap iron being recycled.
Iron mined from ore is iron oxide. Much energy for heat from carbon sources convert this to iron during the smelting process. Iron in this state is an energy source to be burned and iron can burn. It is then iron oxide again. To convert it to iron again requires more energy input as original to make it iron which will burn. The greenies do not know much about thermodynamics and they think enthalpy and entropy are a new drug or sexual position, they are idiots. Unless all energy to do this from the original processing is from green energy this is a carbon positive and not carbon negative process.
Pray tell how much fossil fuel has to be burned to grind iron to a very fine powder to burn as a fossil fuel alternative.
Clever but it takes energy in the first place to separate the iron from oxygen . With the exception of nuclear power energy is an item that is always conserved.
Sad to say not only is energy always conserved but you can't even break even. Some of the energy becomes waste heat. A typical heat engine (like a car) only converts about 20% of the chemical energy into useful work.
That’s my point: Iron and steel have a HUGE energy investment, and turning them back into rust/ore is a very expensive (energy wise) way of recycling. Turning this scrap into useful metal items is far less wasteful.
But you need to get it to a high temperature to burn in the first place. Take a look at the SDS.
“A typical heat engine (like a car) only converts about 20% of the chemical energy into useful work.”
Some things pass muster just because they’re the lesser of evils.
It sounds really neat, but as with all work, how much energy do you expend to create the fuel?
Ocean waves are a nearly untapped source.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.