Ethanol to Power the Future of Hydrogen Fuel Cells.Energy Editors/Business Editors PALO ALTO Palo Alto, city, California Palo Alto (păl`ō ăl`tō), city (1990 pop. 55,900), Santa Clara co., W Calif.; inc. 1894. Although primarily residential, Palo Alto has aerospace, electronics, and advanced research industries. , Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 29, 2004 Hydrogen fuel cell technology's potentially strong future as a fuel for automobiles and various other applications is likely to be weakened by issues regarding its availability and the expenses involved in storage. Bio-based products such as ethanol are expected to open up new areas for research. Hydrogen fuel cells reduce pollution by emitting water vapor in place of carbon dioxide carbon dioxide, chemical compound, CO2, a colorless, odorless, tasteless gas that is about one and one-half times as dense as air under ordinary conditions of temperature and pressure. . However the prevalent method of producing hydrogen from hydrocarbons, though economical, creates pollutants at the manufacturing site. "Biomass material-based fuel cells are a better solution than power fuel cells since hydrogen is expensive and dangerous to handle," notes Technical Insights Analyst Al Hester. "More research should be devoted to ethanol since it is environmentally friendly Environmentally friendly, also referred to as nature friendly, is a term used to refer to goods and services considered to inflict minimal harm on the environment.[1] and based on renewable resources." Conversion of biomass materials such as ethanol into hydrogen is a more cost-efficient method to power fuel cells. Researchers believe that inter-metallic compounds could be used beneficially in fuel cell electrodes to oxidize oxidize /ox·i·dize/ (ok´si-diz) to cause to combine with oxygen or to remove hydrogen. ox·i·dize v. 1. To combine with oxygen; change into an oxide. 2. ethanol. These materials are not alloys but have ordered structures wherein atoms are very specifically arranged. Electrolysis of water Electrolysis of water is the decomposition of water (H2O) into oxygen (O2) and hydrogen gas (H2) due to an electric current being passed through the water. This electrolytic process is used in some industrial applications when hydrogen is needed. using hydroelectric or nuclear, wind, or solar power also produces hydrogen. However, in the present economic condition, these methods may not prove to be cost effective. The need for cheaper and more efficient means to power fuel cells has resulted in investment in extensive research. The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), for instance, awarded Cornell University Cornell University, mainly at Ithaca, N.Y.; with land-grant, state, and private support; coeducational; chartered 1865, opened 1868. It was named for Ezra Cornell, who donated $500,000 and a tract of land. With the help of state senator Andrew D. $2.25 million over three years, to devote research efforts to cells based on other fuels, including ethanol. Research should also be extended to resolve technical problems so that systems that can handle the explosive gas are developed. Safety is a non-issue while considering ethanol in fuel cells. The challenge will be to reduce the cost of producing ethanol from corn and increase tax advantages in order to enable it to compete with fossil fuels. "Current production processes, such as partial combustion of natural gas or electrolysis of water require cheap fossil fuels or electrical power," notes Hester. "In such a scenario, light-induced biological hydrogen production Hydrogen production is commonly completed from hydrocarbon fossil fuels via a chemical path. Hydrogen may also be extracted from water via biological production in an algae bioreactor, or using electricity (by electrolysis) or heat (by thermolysis); these methods are presently not is a potentially cost-effective system." This process uses enzyme systems present in photosynthetic bacteria, cyanobacteria cyanobacteria (sī'ənōbăktĭr`ēə, sī-ăn'ō–) or blue-green algae, photosynthetic bacteria that contain chlorophyll. , and green algae green algae: see algae; Chlorophyta. such as Chlamydomonas Chlamydomonas Genus of single-celled green algae considered to be primitive life-forms of evolutionary significance. The cell has a spherical cellulose membrane, an eyespot, and a cup-shaped, pigment-containing chloroplast. reinhardt. However, there is a need to detect microorganisms that are immune to oxygen and that would prove to be good alternatives to produce hydrogen commercially. Researchers at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), located in Golden, Colorado, as part of the U.S. Department of Energy, is the United States' primary laboratory for renewable energy and energy efficiency research and development. have developed a sensor that detects hydrogen-producing microorganisms through a screening process. The system uses a sensitive film that changes color at a point where the organism being tested indicates hydrogen presence. New analysis by Technical Insights, a business unit of Frost & Sullivan (http://www.Technical-Insights.frost.com), featured in the Industrial Bioprocessing Alert, provides a detailed assessment of recent developments and the use of bio-based products in the fuel cell technology. Copies of the Alert and interviews are available to the press. For a free copy of Technical Insights' Industrial Bioprocessing Alert, please contact Julia Paulson at jpaulson@frost.com with the following information: Full name, Company Name, Title, Contact Tel Number, Contact Fax Number, Email. Upon receipt of the above information, a free copy of Industrial Bioprocessing Alert will be sent to you. Technical Insights is an international technology analysis business that produces a variety of technical news alerts, newsletters, and reports. Frost & Sullivan, an international growth consultancy, has been supporting clients' expansion for more than four decades. Our market expertise covers a broad spectrum of industries, while our portfolio of advisory competencies includes custom strategic consulting, market intelligence, and management training. Our mission is to forge partnerships with our clients' management teams to deliver market insights and to create value and drive growth through innovative approaches. Frost & Sullivan's network of consultants, industry experts, corporate trainers, and support staff spans the globe with offices in every major country. Industrial Bioprocessing Alert Keywords in this release: Ethanol, hydrogen, fuel cells, hydrogen fuel cells, carbon dioxide, water vapor, hydrocarbon, pollutants, biomass, cost efficient, renewable resource, inter-metallic compounds, oxidize, electrode, electrolysis electrolysis (ĭlĕktrŏl`əsĭs), passage of an electric current through a conducting solution or molten salt that is decomposed in the process. , hydroelectric, nuclear, solar, wind power, U.S., Department of Energy, DOE, Cornell University, Caterpillar Inc, Nuvera Fuel Cells Inc, Williams Bio-Energy, Williams' Visitor Center, fossil fuels, natural gas, partial combustion, light-induced, biological, enzyme, algae algae (ăl`jē) [plural of Lat. alga=seaweed], a large and diverse group of primarily aquatic plantlike organisms. These organisms were previously classified as a primitive subkingdom of the plant kingdom, the thallophytes (plants that , Chlamydomonas Reinhardt, photosynthetic bacteria, microorganisms, oxygen, National Renewable Energy Laboratory, screening, film, Hydrogen Fuel Initiative, biomass |
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