Archives: Hydrogen Fuel Production

I’ve talked about ammonia as fuel for motor vehicles in the past, but it’s too good of a subject so I’d like to talk about it again (thanks to John H. from Richland, WA for spurring this discussion). Back in the 1980s, Canadian Greg Vezina powered his 1981 Chevy Impala with NH3 (ammonia). He even • Read More »

Penn State researchers Thomas E. Mallouk and W. Justin Youngblood, in collaboration with Arizona State University, have developed a catalyst and dye system that use solar energy to split water into hydrogen and oxygen. The system is a proof-of-concept that was reported at the American Association for the Advancement of Science. The Penn State direct • Read More »

Georgia Institute of Technology is researching a method to capture carbon in cars before it comes out the tailpipe. Georgia Tech is developing its carbon capture technology on both liquid fossil fuels and synthetic fuels. The carbon capture technology will separate the hydrogen from the CO2 in liquid form and then use the hydrogen in • Read More »

The Nanoptek Corporation out of Maynard, Massachusetts has found a way to produce cheap hydrogen using sunlight and water in their Solar Hydrogen Generator (SHG). The hydrogen is so cheap it is expected to be able to compete with hydrogen produced from the steam reforming of natural gas, the most popular and inexpensive method used • Read More »

I’ve talked about the FutureGen clean coal initiative over the past couple of years as a promising method to produce hydrogen cleanly and capture the carbon. In December 2007, the Department of Energy (DOE) announced that Mattoon, Illinois would be the home to the first prototype plant. Yesterday, Energy Secretary Sam Bodman announced that FutureGen • Read More »

In March of 2007, I had talked about Alternative Energy Corporation (AEC) creating a new method of producing hydrogen cleanly without electrolyzing water or steam reforming natural gas. At that time, I had spoken with CEO Blaine Froats about the chemical process of creating bulk hydrogen and the valuable byproducts this process would also create. • Read More »

Over a year ago, I had talked a little about a company called Nanologix that was using the wastewater from Welch’s Grape Juice to produce hydrogen. The pilot project from the Ohio-based Nanologix and Gannon University Professor Rick Diz uses microorganisms to break down the sugar in the wastewater. The 300-gallon holding tank where the • Read More »

Hydrogen Energy, a joint venture between BP and the Rio Tinto Group, will be developing the world’s largest hydrogen power plant in Abu Dhabi. The tiny oil producing nation stands to benefit from the hydrogen power plant with lower emissions and increased oil and natural gas production. The 420 MW plant will steam reform natural • Read More »

There are many uses for a hydrogen generator, from backyard experiments to electrical backup power to automotive applications to high purity uses for the industrial and laboratory sectors and for large power plants. The word “hydrogen generator” can be taken in two different ways. First, it can mean a system that generates H2 gas and • Read More »

Four or five times in the past, I’ve talked about ammonia cars. I’ve also talked about ammonia itself being a feasible chemical hydrogen carrier for future cars. The other day I stumbled across Professor Vito Agosta of Brooklyn’s Polytechnic University posting his thoughts in 2003 about the Ammonia Economy as a pathway to a hydrogen • Read More »