As fuel cell
vehicles rollout in California, Germany, Japan, the UK and elsewhere, creating
an abundance of hydrogen is key to the success of the adoption of the vehicles.
As fuel cell vehicles are considered to be disruptive technology so are the
means of making hydrogen gas. One of the new ways of doing so is to use
microwaves to create hydrogen from fossil fuels. The left over high-purity carbon
can be sold in the marketplace for a whole host of applications such as carbon
nanotubes for fuel cells.
Scientists have
proven that microwaves can aid in creating nanostructured molybdenum disulphide
or MoS2 catalysts with an enhancement that allows the production of hydrogen.
The microwave-assisted approach functions by expanding the space and,
therefore, diminishing the interaction between particular layers of MoS2
nanosheets. As a consequence, a larger portion of reactive sites end up being
exposed, while on their edges hydrogen can be produced.
Scientists from
both United Kingdom and Saudi Arabia established a technique that allows the
production of high purity hydrogen from fossil fuels, without the natural
release of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. The process called
microwave-initiated dehydrogenation functions based on inexpensive iron
particle catalysts, while transforming unrefined petroleum into diesel, petrol
or methane. Even though some view this as an innovative technique that should
be put into practice in order to lessen the burden from our planet, a couple of
specialists in the field criticise the approach and remain skeptical about its
efficiency.
Furthermore, several
experiments conducted at the University of Oxford by Pete Edwards and his team
revealed more details in regards to microwaves creating hydrogen from fossil
fuels. When it comes to the employment of hydrogen as a clean energy conductor,
there are a few limitations that arise due to its lack of infrastructure,
safety concerns and even the serviceable sources. Hence, researchers from
Oxford aimed to cultivate a competent route that can dispose hydrogen at a
higher rate from naturally prevailed fossil fuels, while taking advantage of
the available infrastructure, due to the fact that those sources will still be
used in the nearby future.
The conclusion
that was drawn by Pete Edwards and his team was that the concept they
discovered and used in their experiments reveals the fact that two scientific
domains can work together harmoniously. Moreover, combining fundamental physics
and chemical catalysis allowed them to observe how efficient can be to make use
of induced metal-to-insulator transitions that take place when metal particles
diminish to the point where quantum effects take place.
In other words,
the microwave absorption rises to a fairly high level only when the electronic
conductivity available in a particle diminishes drastically. By testing this
theory on inexpensive iron particles, Edward`s team was able to successfully
create microwave-absorbing catalytic particles that led to the creation of
fuels like oil or methane.
Researchers at the
University of Oxford state that their goal and vision remains to make use of
hydrocarbon fuels through available distribution systems that permit a smooth
supply of clean hydrogen, without the disposal of carbon dioxide emissions. The
by-product of this process, the solid carbon, is a great source of catalysts
that can be preserved underground or sold at a premium in the marketplace as I
had previously mentioned.
As earth’s climate
deteriorates rapidly, the means for producing hydrogen cleanly needs to
increase just as rapidly. Microwaves may just be one answer to the equation.
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