Researchers at Purdue University in Indiana have developed a method that may eventually allow boats and ships to use hydrogen from seawater to run their engines.
The researchers used aluminum and a liquid alloy to extract hydrogen from seawater, which is then fed directly to the vessels’ engine, serving as a potential replacement for gasoline and diesel fuel.
The material is made of tiny grains of aluminum surrounded by an alloy containing gallium, indium and tin, which is liquid in room temperature. The alloy dissolves the aluminum, causing it to react with the oxygen atoms in seawater and release hydrogen.
The waste product, aluminum hydroxide, can be recycled back to aluminum using existing commercial processes.
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The technique had previously worked only for freshwater, but this new formulation allows the use of seawater, said Jerry Woodwall, a distinguished professor of electrical and computer engineering at the university.
The new method also eliminates the need to store and transport hydrogen – two major obstacles that slow down the widespread use of hydrogen for ships and vehicles.
«We generate the hydrogen on demand, as you need it,» Mr. Woodall explained. «It also eliminates the need to store fresh water when used for marine applications.»
Unlike other similar techniques, the new method uses bulk metal and not powdered aluminum, making the process more cost effective.
The formulation contains 90 percent aluminum and 10 percent of the liquid alloy. Aside from releasing hydrogen, the reaction produces heat, which can be harnessed to generate electricity.
The technology also represents a new way of storing energy from solar and wind sources, Mr. Woodwall said.
“Being unable to store energy from wind and solar has been a major limitation for those technologies because they don’t work very well when the sun isn’t shining and the wind isn’t blowing,» he noted.
«But if we converted energy from wind and solar into fuel for hydrogen-generation, we would, in effect, be solving this problem because the hydrogen could then be used to generate electricity, to run engines or fuel cells.»
Mr. Woodwall and his partner, doctoral student Go Choi, hope to conduct further research for the process and are seeking funding and external interest to commercialize the technology.
The Purdue Research Foundation filed a separate provisional patent application on the new process for seawater. It already holds the title to the original patent application filed in 2007 for the freshwater process.
