I am a bit perplexed by this
story. I am not sure how it all is put
together or what is the plausible energy density. At least we have a superior catalyst that we
need to pay attention to. It remains to
be seen if we have a working battery and how much formic acid is used.
Of course, they have not told us
what the catalyst actually is, so we are waiting for patents at this point I am
sure.
In the meantime, formic acid is a
way to store hydrogen, while releasing CO2 which effectively acted as a carrier
for a couple of hydrogen atoms. It could
be benign enough to justify using.
New Catalyst Will Allow Commercialization of Revolutionary Fuel Cells
ScienceDaily (June 15, 2011) — Cheap, much lighter than before and
allowing for continuous operation -- what traditional batteries can not offer
-- direct formic acid fuel cells can revolutionize the portable electronics
market. A new catalyst developed at the Institute
of Physical Chemistry of the Polish Academy
You can hardly find a consumer electronics user who would not be
irritated by problems with power supply. The batteries run out quickly and
require continuous replacements or take a long time charging. Fuel cells could
significantly improve the comfort of using electronic devices. Their
commercialization, however, is hampered by many technological problems. A new
catalyst developed at the Institute of Physical Chemistry of the Polish Academy
of Sciences in Warsaw represents a substantial milestone on the way to
dissemination of cheap, durable, light and environment friendly fuel cells
powered by formic acid.
Fuel cell is a device converting chemical energy into electric power.
The current is generated directly due to fuel combustion in the presence of
catalysts used on the anode and the cathode of the fuel cell. "Theoretical
efficiency of conversion of chemical energy into electric power in the cells
can reach even one hundred percent. The best present fuel cells, powered by
hydrogen, reach up to 60% in real life. For comparison, the efficiency of
low-compression engines is as low as 20%," says Dr Andrzej Borodziński
from the IPC PAS.
The biggest obstacle to dissemination of hydrogen fuels is the
storage of hydrogen. The issue turned out to be extremely technologically
challenging and still is waiting for satisfactory solutions.(exactly
why I have been utterly dismissive of the ‘hydrogen highway’) An alternative to fuel cells powered by
pure hydrogen is the methanol fuel cell technology. Methanol, however, is toxic
and the methanol powered fuel cells must be produced with expensive platinum
based catalysts. Moreover, methanol fuel cells have low power and are operated
at a relatively high and so potentially hazardous temperature (approximately
90°C).
An alternative solution is formic acid fuel cells. In this case, the
reactions occur at room temperature, and the efficiency and power of these fuel
cells are clearly higher than those for methanol ones. In addition, formic acid
is easy to store and transport. To have, however, formic acid fuel cell stable
in operation you need an efficient and durable catalyst.
"The catalyst developed by us has initially lower activity then
the existing catalysts made of pure palladium. The difference disappears,
however, already after two hours of operation. And further it is only better.
Our catalyst is stable in operation, whereas the activity of a pure
palladium-based catalyst decreases in time," says Dr Borodziński.
An advantage of the catalyst developed in the IPC PAS, particularly
important from the economic point of view, is that it preserves its properties
while operated in formic acid of low purity. Such formic acid can be easily
produced in large quantities, also from biomass, so the fuel for new fuel cells
would be very cheap
.
Formic acid produced from biomass would be a fully environment friendly
fuel. The reactions involving formic acid in fuel cells generate as products
water and carbon dioxide. The latter is, as a matter of fact, a greenhouse gas,
but the biomass is obtained from plants which use carbon dioxide for their
growth. As a result, formic acid produced from biomass and consumed in fuel
cells would not change the content of carbon dioxide in atmospheric air. The
risk of natural environment contamination by formic acid is also low.
Formic acid fuel cells would find numerous applications. They would be
particularly suitable in portable electronic devices -- mobile phones, laptops
or GPS-based devices. They could also be installed as power supply sources in
vehicles, from wheelchairs through electric bicycles up to yachts.
At the IPC PAS the research is being undertaken on the first batteries
based on formic acid fuel cells. The researchers expect that a prototype of a
commercial device should be ready within a couple of years.
No comments:
Post a Comment