Cheap Catalyst Could Turn Sunlight, Water Into Fuel

Cheap Catalyst Could Turn Sunlight, Water Into Fuel

By miguelitoh2o on Thu, 04/21/2011 - 11:50am |

MIT chemists say the catalyst, used in conjunction with cheap photovoltaic solar panels, could lead to inexpensive, simple systems that use water to store the energy from sunlight.

The problem with this heretofore has been the expense of producing the hydrogen from water. This new catalyst may bring the cost to a feasible level.

URL:

http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2008/07/reverse-fuel-ce/

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Even if they're getting cheap hydrogen, I have read many caveats about using hydrogen as a fuel. It is so diffuse that you want to pressurize it for transport, but it is difficult to store at pressure.

by Donal on Thu, 04/21/2011 - 12:49pm

We discussed this here a few weeks back, when it was being touted as an "artificial leaf." At the time, I questioned the economics and claims that commercialization was imminent. What appears to be new is that Nocera and his MIT associates have finally published a scientific paper. But it deals with just one aspect of the total process, the development of a new, cheap, more efficient catalyst. The new report concedes there are no estimates for costs, much research remains to be done, and it will be years before practical devices hit the market. This sounds like promising research, but I'm really leery about how it's being hyped in the popular-science media.

by acanuck on Thu, 04/21/2011 - 1:57pm

I wonder if any of them thought thru all the possibilities of their invention. For instance, there's a limited amount of H20 available...yeah it's a shitload, but it's limited. And what is there is used by other lifeforms to create a sustainable global food chain. But if you look at the 7% growth rate of consumption of fossil fuels once the auto was introduced, one would discover we've sucked up a hell of a lot of the slimy, stinky stuff and our appetites have yet to be sated. Move that demand over to H20 and Mars will be our sister planet, not Venus. I have my druthers about messing with eco-systems, especially if it destroys habitat that provides global sustenance to all lifeforms. Unfortunately, the by-product of energy creation is exhausting resources and what's left has little to no value or use.

by Beetlejuice on Thu, 04/21/2011 - 8:31pm

Except the water always gets recycled. It only stays separate hydrogen and oxygen molecules while we're using it to store energy. Then it's water again.

by acanuck on Thu, 04/21/2011 - 11:43pm

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