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Posted on 04/20/2011 11:01:03 AM PDT by Free Vulcan
A research team at Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) in Switzerland has announced they have come upon a new catalyst for electrolysis to split hydrogen out of water. In a serendipitous moment the team led by Xile Hu made this discovery during an electrochemical experiment. Hu said, “It’s a perfect illustration of the famous serendipity principle in fundamental research. Thanks to this unexpected result, we’ve revealed a unique phenomenon.” Being alert has rewards when lightning strikes, thanks to Professor Hu and his group the new hydrogen catalyst has been found.
Splitting hydrogen is an energy expensive process. For industrial use most hydrogen is extracted using heat for the energy and sources such as natural gas with more easily cracked apart molecular bonds. Cheap free hydrogen is a dream of energy nirvana for many, but as a practical matter having cheap hydrogen sources would have a basic cost savings across a wide swath of industrial production. It’s an important breakthrough, and how low the operating costs get are important data.
Professor Hu’s team discovered that a molybdenum-based catalyst allows hydrogen production at room temperature, and is inexpensive and efficient. EPFL has already started an international patent filing based on the discovery.
The team, Daniel Merki, Stéphane Fierro, Heron Vrubel and Xile Hu has published the paper Amorphous Molybdenum Sulfide Films as Catalysts for Electrochemical Hydrogen Production in Water in the journal Chemical Science.
The background is water is composed of hydrogen and oxygen. The water molecule can be cracked apart from flowing an electrical current between electrodes in the process known as electrolysis. As this is a slow and energy consuming reaction, platinum is generally used as a catalyst to improve the production rate. But platinum is a dreadfully expensive material that has tripled in price over the last decade.
Now EPFL scientists have shown that abundant and commercially available amorphous molybdenum sulphides are efficient catalysts and hydrogen production cost can be significantly lowered. That’s a grand statement yet the press release isn’t conveniently clear on making a comparison. What is clear is 15 mA cm?2 at ? = 200 mV) will get the job done. This is not a lot of power and someone will kick in the comparative numbers.
The other significant benefit is the catalysts are stable and compatible with acidic, neutral or basic conditions of the water and the rate of the hydrogen production is faster than other catalysts of the similar price.
The discovery opens up some interesting possibilities for industrial applications. Plus it could offer a tool in the area of solar energy storage.
The catch is as with all the water splitting technologies is the hydrogen gas bubbles out along with the oxygen making oxyhydrogen gas also known as Browns Gas, a ready to ignite fuel mixture. Getting the hydrogen and oxygen separated without any possible ignition is the next step to useful electrolysis of water beyond a process that reignites the oxyhydrogen gas for the heat and pressure gain.
Its quite a breakthrough, the dam holding up hydrogen production has a trickle over the top now, a hint that splitting water is an idea that with more research might get to a lower cost industrial scale. Some engineers are already calculating if money can be saved, and the independent experimenters are likely thrilled to get an improvement over the popular stainless steel plate method.
The EPFL team has made the breakthrough. It has certainly set off a new round exploration. We’re one step closer to economical hydrogen production from water.
What still is not clear is the hydrogen produce for that energy. Is that per hour per molecule?
Being more efficient still means a net loss of energy, just less of a loss. Hydrogen is not not an energy source, it is an energy storage medium and a poor one.
Good point. I bet it will still take two moles of electrons to get a mole of H2. The equation should show H yield to be useful, or show coulombs in vs moles H2 out and the cost of those coulombs.
This is one of those “the cost of solar power will come down a factor of ten in the next two years because of this invention” stories.
Coming soon- Hydrogen, too cheap to meter!
That nuke facility in Japan is pretty good at splitting water into hydrogen as well
Are they nuts? By products are oxygen and monohydrogen hydroxide that can create azeotrope with other solvents.
I'll say. There really isn't that much to split, is there? Now splitting hydrogen from oxygen in a molecule of water is a bit less energy-intensive.
Paragraph 2 is completely misleading. Even if a catalyst produced 100% efficient energy conversion to Hydrogen, it’s still just that - energy conversion. You need an energy source like coal, oil, nuclear, etc.
This work must be stopped immediately as computer models predict this technology will deplete the ocean of water, killing quadbillionzillion sea creatures, destroying the planet and recreational fishing.
By the time they solve this, water will be $4 a gallon.
Actually, it already is $4 gallon or more.
Actually, the primary difficulty with accomplishing anything in this way has been the cost of the energy. Now if the process can be made sufficiently energy efficient, it may provide a much more beneficial use of solar power via high-efficiency solar cells.
While maybe not yet being the complete solution, this process may in fact bring us one significant step closer to the goal.
How many of various energy plants produce excessive power. For instance, a hydroelectric power plant will frequently spill water out of the dam when there is excess power. Also, a nuclear plant will no longer have to cut back on output. It can be making hydrogen when the demand is low.
When they adapt this as fuel for cars, we have mini Hindenbergs across the US (apology to Miller for stealing his line).
And some claim a gasoline ICE is inefficient?
Big deal. My body makes brown gas, which ignites as well. At zero millivolts, no gulldang amperes at all.
Let me guess, always the magical 10-20 years away.
Dunno.
If you can use “free” or intermittent energy sources unsuitable for regular power production (like wind or solar) to crack hydrogen, then store the hydrogen, that it might be a better storage medium batteries.
So the wind farm fills up the hydrogen tanks which are available on a constant basis (unlike wind power).
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