Duke University engineers have come up with a novel method to create hydrogen that also creates nearly zero carbon monoxide in the process. The materials used are nanoparticles of gold and iron oxide (rust). In April 2013 I wondered on this blog if iron is the new platinum – and it may very well be. One also has to wonder now if gold is the new platinum?

According to Duke, “While hydrogen is ubiquitous in the environment, producing and collecting molecular hydrogen for transportation and industrial uses is expensive and complicated. Just as importantly, a byproduct of most current methods of producing hydrogen is carbon monoxide, which is toxic to humans and animals.

“The Duke engineers, using a new catalytic approach, have shown in the laboratory that they can reduce carbon monoxide levels to nearly zero in the presence of hydrogen and the harmless byproducts of carbon dioxide and water. They also demonstrated that they could produce hydrogen by reforming fuel at much lower temperatures than conventional methods, which makes it a more practical option.

“Catalysts are agents added to promote chemical reactions. In this case, the catalysts were nanoparticle combinations of gold and iron oxide (rust), but not in the traditional sense. Current methods depend on gold nanoparticles’ ability to drive the process as the sole catalyst, while the Duke researchers made both the iron oxide and the gold the focus of the catalytic process.”

Of course as with any laboratory experiment one has to wonder how easy it is to scale up a process like this for commercialization. And if this process does in fact turn out to be easily scalable, it will be worth its weight in gold.

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Major oil and gas companies in Japan are getting ready for the 2015 rollout of commercial hydrogen fuel cell vehicles. In April 2013, the first fueling station in Japan, operated by JX Nippon Oil & Energy Corporation, to offer both gasoline and compressed hydrogen gas went live.

According to the Japan Times, “Oil distributors have started to establish hydrogen station networks, while the government is set to provide financial assistance and is considering deregulation to make it easier to set up the fuel supply networks …

“…It’s possible that fuel cell vehicles might replace electric vehicles, Toyota Motor Corp. Vice Chairman Takeshi Uchiyamada says. Toyota and Honda Motor Co. plan to release mass-market fuel cell vehicles in 2015, and Nissan Motor Co. will follow suit in 2017 …”

“…By 2015, 13 companies including automakers and oil distributors aim to establish a total of 100 hydrogen supply bases, mainly in major cities. JX Nippon Oil & Energy Corp., one of the 13 firms, installed its first hydrogen supply equipment at a gas station in the city of Ebina, Kanagawa Prefecture, in April. The firm aims to set up such equipment at 40 places.”

I’ve talked many times about Japan being far ahead of the U. S. in regard to developing infrastructure for hydrogen fuel cell cars. Not only do the Japanese carmakers take hydrogen fueled vehicles seriously but so do the government and hydrogen suppliers and manufacturers as well.

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Here is an interesting press release that came across my desk this morning. The student race team at Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands is raising money for their hydrogen car by “crowd funding”.

Press Release

Delft – 15-05-2013. The Forze student race team of the Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands is developing a race car which has a top speed of 220 km/h with zero emissions. Forze has launched a campaign to actively get the public interested and involved with the new race car. In exchange for one of the donations it is even possible to ride in a hydrogen powered racecar! The new electric race car uses hydrogen as fuel and will be finished this summer. It is one of the few hydrogen powered race cars in the world and is designed to compete against combustion engine race cars to demonstrate how fast and powerful green technology can be.

Crowd funding

The team has recently started a crowd funding campaign to give the general public the chance to help support the team. Through a donation, people are able to drive the Forze V, the previous generation car. Other options are a V.I.P. treatment during one of the races, a t-shirt, or to get their name printed on the new car. “We are hoping for many donations, with this money we can obtain parts for the vehicle. In addition, we will be able to reach a large audience with our message: green technology is the future, also on the racetrack” says Michel Haak, team manager of Forze.

Hydrogen Powered Race Car

With the development of a larger race car the team shows that this technology is available for a competitive race car. A fuel cell in the car converts hydrogen and oxygen into electricity. This electricity is used to run two large electric motors which power the rear wheels. With this technology, the Forze VI produces no harmful gasses; the only exhaust is water. Furthermore, the car has advanced electronics which control and monitor all the systems. Interesting features are the brake cooling system and the energy storage system. The brakes are cooled with water what is produced in the fuel cell and the energy storage system makes it possible to store kinetic brake energy and is able to boost the peak power up to 190 kW.

The Team

The Forze hydrogen racing team consists of about 75 students with diverse educational backgrounds from the Delft University of Technology. The team is the very first hydrogen racing team in the world and still is one of the foremost pioneers in this field. Forze will participate in the Caterham Cup this summer where they will race against traditional gasoline powered cars. The team will also make an attempt at the world record for hydrogen powered cars on the Nurburgring’s Nordschleife track in Germany. In addition to this, the Forze team is actively giving presentations and demonstrations during events such as Rotterdam City Racing.

If you wish to support the team, it is possible via the following link

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On March 12, 2013 I had talked about how the U. S. Department of Energy (DOE) was intending to launch a new public-private program called H2USA that would promote the building of hydrogen infrastructure to support fuel cell vehicles. Yesterday, on May 13, 2014 the DOE actually launched the H2USA program.

According to the DOE, “The new partnership brings together automakers, government agencies, gas suppliers, and the hydrogen and fuel cell industries to coordinate research and identify cost-effective solutions to deploy infrastructure that can deliver affordable, clean hydrogen fuel in the United States …

“… Through H2USA, industry and government partners will focus on identifying actions to encourage early adopters of fuel cell electric vehicles, conduct coordinated technical and market analysis, and evaluate alternative fueling infrastructure that can enable cost reductions and economies of scale. For example, infrastructure being developed for alternative fuels such as natural gas, as well as fuel cell applications including tri-generation that produce heat, power and hydrogen from natural gas or biogas, may also provide low cost hydrogen for vehicles. In addition, increased fuel cell deployment for combined heat and power, back-up power systems and fuel cell forklifts can help pave the way for mainstream hydrogen vehicle infrastructure …

“…Current members of the H2USA partnership include the American Gas Association, Association of Global Automakers, the California Fuel Cell Partnership, the Electric Drive Transportation Association, the Fuel Cell and Hydrogen Energy Association, Hyundai Motor America, ITM Power, Massachusetts Hydrogen Coalition, Mercedes-Benz USA, Nissan North America Research and Development, Proton OnSite, and Toyota Motor North America.”

So, let’s see. Who is missing from this list? Notably missing are some of the largest industrial gas suppliers and those running the hydrogen fueling stations such as Air Products, Praxair, Air Liquide and Linde. Even Shell Oil which runs several hydrogen gas pumps is not on the list. Hopefully, this will change. In order for H2USA to be successful, the big players which are currently developing the hydrogen refueling infrastructure need to be onboard with the program so that we are not looking at the year 2015 in the rearview mirror and wondering where all of the hydrogen cars and refueling stations are and why didn’t the powers that be take action sooner.

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Because I was born ½ Finnish, this story is near and dear to my heart. The Finns have decided it’s time to get with the program and prepare for the upcoming age of hydrogen cars. And to this a company called VTT Technical Research Centre has prepared a Finnish hydrogen roadmap.

According to VTT, “The Finnish hydrogen roadmap, compiled by VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland and partly funded by the Finnish Funding Agency for Technology and Innovation (Tekes), assesses the export opportunities that can be available to Finnish businesses through international development. The report envisages the kind of energy-, climate- and industrial-political opportunities offered to Finland through widespread adoption of hydrogen energy, and presents realistic recommendations for gaining access to them …

“…Finland is already prepared for the construction of hydrogen refuelling stations through gas company Woikoski Oy, which this year has set the ball rolling by using its own innovative technology to bring an exportable hydrogen refuelling station to Vuosaari in Helsinki …

“…For Finland the question is not only one of energy, but of processes, materials, equipment and the manufacture of components. In other words, of building the export products that will be needed for the future hydrogen distribution network.”

And for all of my fine Finnish friends, I would like to close by saying, “Voi poro hymyillen teitä.”

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Over 90-percent of the hydrogen created today is done so by the process of steam reforming natural gas / methane. In this process, CO2 is created as a byproduct. And a substantial portion of this CO2 (a greenhouse gas) is simply released into the atmosphere as a byproduct. Now what if this didn’t have to be the case?

Engineers in Germany at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) are building a production system that separates hydrogen from methane and the byproduct is carbon and not carbon dioxide.

According to KIT, “CO2-free hydrogen production at KIT will be achieved by thermal decomposition of methane in a high-temperature bubble column reactor. KIT researchers enter entirely new ground. ‘With this project, we have the opportunity to participate in the development of fundamentals for a completely new energy technology,’ explains the head of KALLA, Professor Thomas Wetzel. ‘If feasibility can be confirmed, sustainable production and use of hydrogen from fossil sources that would have affected the climate if they were used conventionally will be possible.’

“The liquid-metal bubble column reactor to be built up at KALLA in the next months is a vertical column of about half a meter in height and a few centimeters in diameter. The column is filled with liquid metal that is heated up to 1000°C. Fine methane bubbles enter the column through a porous filling at the bottom. These bubbles rise up to the surface. ‘At such high temperatures, the ascending methane bubbles are increasingly decomposed into hydrogen and carbon,’ explains Professor Thomas Wetzel.”

So, there you have it, reforming methane into hydrogen without creating any greenhouse gases along the way. By the way, back in the U. S. the Argonne National Laboratory also has a take on how to reform methane into hydrogen and capture and sequester the CO2. Either method will be cleaner and greener than what is typically being done right now.

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The U. S. Department of Energy (DOE) is seeking information in regard to sponsoring an H-Prize competition for developing cost effective home hydrogen refueling stations for consumer automobiles.

According to the DOE, “The FCT Office is seeking information related to a potential H-Prize competition involving home hydrogen refueling systems, which would further the purpose of H-Prize in accelerating the development and commercial application of hydrogen energy technology. These systems would be designed to produce hydrogen applicable to residential settings for vehicle fueling, using feedstocks with an existing residential delivery infrastructure. The potential prize award would be $1 million.

“Systems of interest would provide supplemental hydrogen for vehicle fueling at single- or multi-family dwellings. These systems would be installed in residential locations using feedstocks commonly delivered to most residences (e.g., electricity and natural gas). The system physical size and safety requirement must be appropriate for a residential setting. Information regarding individual components of the systems are of interest, but responses regarding complete systems (including the hydrogen generation technology and the components required for refueling, including compression and filling equipment) are of particular interest. Technologies in all stages of development are of interest.”

With the 2015 deadline looming where automakers say they will be ready with commercial fuel cell vehicles, many have wondered out loud whether or not the U. S. Government was going to take any action in regard to helping to build infrastructure to support the hydrogen cars. And now, at least on the home front, the answer is yes.

You can read the full text here of the DOE Home Hydrogen Refueler H-Prize document.

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Tongji Automotive Design & Research Institute, a part of Tongji University in Shanghai, China has developed a fuel cell concept car they have named the Volare (pictured above).

The vehicle was premiered last week at the Auto China 2013 Motor Show. Developed by both Chinese and German scientists at the University, there are not a lot of details forthcoming about the Volare hydrogen fuel cell roadster.

According to Gizmag, “The Volare is known to have a newly developed hydrogen fuel cell – we just don’t know any details. What is known is that the car has wheel motors on all four wheels (and is hence four-wheel-drive), and a top speed of 150 km/h (93 mph) …

“…Tongji fuel cell cars competed in the Michelin Challenge Bibendum in 2004 (finishing in the top 10 percent of fuel cell vehicles by any measure) and in the 2006 Bibendum, a Tongji-designed FCV delivered the best fuel economy of the class.”

Since 2004, Tongji Automotive Design & Research Institute has come up with a number of eco-friendly concept cars and among them several fuel cell vehicle designs. So, what’s the verdict – thumbs up or down on the Chinese Volare design?

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On April 16, 2013 I had talked about the Aston Martin Rapide S hydrogen hybrid dual fuel car and its upcoming 24-Hours of Nürburgring Race. Are we there yet? Well, not quite but almost.

The Rapide S hydrogen, however, has completed a test lap at the Nurburgring’s Nordschleife. The test drive went smoothly and no technical issues were forthcoming.

According to Wired.com, “The racer, based on the utterly gorgeous, if completely impractical, Rapide sedan, will be the first zero-emissions hydrogen vehicle to compete in an international endurance event.

“Powering the Rapide is a prototype twin-turbocharged, 6.0-liter V12 that can run on hydrogen, gasoline or a mixture of both. For this race, the Rapide will be topped up with 7.7 pounds of hydrogen after each stint. Naturally, safety is of the utmost importance in motorsport, so a set of ‘ultra-high strength carbon fiber tanks’ will hold the combustible material, with a custom fuel rail and engine management system plumbing hydrogen into the snorting bent-12. All the hardware has been approved by the German motorsport authority.”

And CNET.com adds a little more info about the Rapide S hydrogen car, “For the Hybrid Hydrogen Rapide S, Aston Martin modified the fuel system of the car’s 6-liter V-12 engine and added four 5,000 PSI carbon fiber tanks. The tanks hold 3.5 kilograms (7.7 pounds) of hydrogen.

“Aston Martin expects the car to run the course at racing speeds, with stops at each lap to refill the hydrogen tank … The Hybrid Hydrogen Rapide S’ performance numbers sound impressive, hitting 60 mph in 4.9 seconds and attaining a top speed of 190 mph, according to Aston Martin.”

When the Rapide S hydrogen race car does run for real (in the May 17 – 20, 2013 time frame) it will be placed in the E1-XP experimental class of the endurance race. And afterwards Aston Martin will be able to boldly say, “We have arrived.”

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Dr. Radenka Maric, a researcher at the University of Connecticut has discovered how to use 10 times less catalyst in PEM Fuel Cells. Dr. Maric uses the Reactive Spray Deposition Technique to achieve results.

According to UConn, “The focuses of this program is on an adaptation of the Reactive Spray Deposition Technique for PEM Catalyst layer fabrication. It is now possible to co-deposit an entire low loading (<0.05mg/cm2 Pt) thin film (<0.5-3um) catalyst layer directly from precursors with this approach.

“The RSDT manufactured catalyst layer has a performance of 1 A/cm2 at 0.6V with 0.05mg/cm2 Pt cathode loading, in H2/O2 with 100 %RH, which is higher than the best low loading sputtered catalyst layers that have been published at 0.1mg/cm2 Pt loading.

“The broader goal of this program is to investigate the interplay of manufacturing, microstructure and performance for the creation of thinner catalyst layers (

Dr. Maric has published a 16-page PDF file outlining her research. And with regards to this story, a tip of the hat to Fuel Cells 2000 for this, well, tip.

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