Posted on 05/18/2007 10:29:42 AM PDT by NormsRevenge
You guys are way ahead of the game!............
That's what yesterday's article said; so I believe it's possible.
Better info at the previous article posted for economics
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1835011/posts
What about the availability of Gallium?
I really only recall hearing about it in Chemistry class.
Just a slight correction -
you have more than water as a combustion product, as natural gas is carbon based (CH4).
So you’d get some CO (incomplete combustion), CO2, and H2O when it burns.
Pure H2 being burned only produces H2O.
There is valuable metal in the catalytic converter of the exhaust system. When they first started being used it was estimated they would last 50,000 miles and have to be replaced, not cheap, even though the catalyst was recoverable. Likely the gallium would have to be recycled, so the entire unit would be replaced when the aluminum is oxidized. If they start putting gallium in cars, the quantity would be large. How much would come from the leftovers of the semiconductor industry?
It's used in the semiconductor industry, but I don't know where the natural resources come from, nor do I know how much or little is needed for this process.
China is a source of gallium.
No, Natural Gas combustion produces CO, CO2 and NOx. Burning Hydrogen in our atmosphere is also going to produce NOx.
Did it say that mechanism could be incorporated into a removable module so that one would have two modules — one charging at home, and one discharging? I guess market economics would make it preferable to sell recharged alumina modules, rather than own-your-own.
The NOX is coming from the nitrogen in the air used for combustion, right?
Gallium does not exist in free form in nature, nor do any high-gallium minerals exist to serve as a primary source of extraction of the element or its compounds. Gallium is found and extracted as a trace component in bauxite, coal, diaspore, germanite, and sphalerite. The United States Geological Survey (USGC) estimates gallium reserves based on 50 ppm by weight concentration in known reserves of bauxite and zinc ores. Some flue dusts from burning coal have been shown to contain as much as 1.5 percent gallium.The statements from the scientist seem to indicate that 99.9999% purity wouldn't be required, so I would imagine the same sources could be used to produce less pure versions at a lower cost, pending supply issues.Most gallium is extracted from the crude aluminium hydroxide solution of the Bayer process for producing alumina and aluminum. A mercury cell electrolysis and hydrolysis of the amalgam with sodium hydroxide leads to sodium gallate. Electrolysis then gives gallium metal. For semiconductor use, further purification is carried out using zone melting, or else single crystal extraction from a melt (Czochralski process). Purities of 99.9999% are routinely achieved and commercially widely available.
As of 2006, the current price for 1 kg gallium of 99.9999% purity seems to be at about 400 US$.
Another lunatic scheme from the hydronauts.
If you want to run your car on aluminum, why not do it with a mechanically recargable battery. You would get nearly 100% of the electrical energy stored in the metal. PEM fuel cells are less than 50% efficient and you would lose even more energy in the chemical process to release hydrogen. You also would have much less complexity and expense.
There have been mechanically recargable marine batteries for about 40 years.
People are just grabbing at straws trying to figure out how to make a hydrogen car.
I think the previous article speculated that module exchange would be better, that way "spent" modules could be recharged at the power source, rather than having to deal with expensive and lossy power distribution.
Aluminum is produced with heavy use of electric power. Using aluminum to give back some of that power makes some sense, but as with hydrogen by electrolysis from other means it is only a medium not a primary source. This is not a something from nothing situation.
Thanks, I’ll check it out.
And Gallium is a toxic substance, if I remember correctly.
Agreed. This clearly isn’t about “something for nothing”, it’s about a mechanism to store the potential hydrogen energy until the moment it’s needed for use. A hydrogen “battery”, so to speak, without the volatility of actual hydrogen.
I am referring to smoke, odor, and particulates.
Details can be found at:
http://www.spp.sk/Portal3en/DesktopDefault.aspx?tabid=1046
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.