Soon, hydrogen fuel cells for hydrogen powered cars

Mar 15, 2007 09:27 GMT  ·  By

Hydrogen may be the fuel of the future.

Unlike oil, hydrogen burns much more easily and is totally not contaminant as the only waste product is water. And water, as the hydrogen source, is unlimited.

But current technologies do not permit hydrogen use, which is highly explosive. "One of the bottlenecks for bringing hydrogen into everyday use is the problem with storage. This storage problem prevents hydrogen from competing with gasoline as a fuel, even though it burns more efficiently and pollution free", said Chris Willson, president of HSM Systems Inc., a New Brunswick company involved in the development and commercialization of novel technologies and materials for the storage and transport of hydrogen.

But a research team at the University of New Brunswick in Fredericton, with which HSM has a Research and License Agreement, has made a breakthrough in hydrogen storage by successfully condensing hydrogen gas into a usable solid under mild conditions. "The challenge is to find a safer, more efficient and economical way to store hydrogen so that it can be released on demand," explained chemist Dr. Sean McGrady, the lead researcher on the project. "The way to do this is to turn hydrogen into a compound - a solid - so you can use it when you want, safely, in the amount you want."

Hydrogen is normally stored under pressure in 4 ft (1.2 m) tall metal cylinders, heavy and expensive to transport, not to mention safety hazard, as hydrogen is highly inflammable even at normal pressure. "We've reached a milestone with our ability to condense hydrogen into a usable solid. The next step is to produce a safe, compact storage system for the compound that is both lightweight and affordable", said McGrady.

The findings should generate reversible hydrogen storage materials that can be processed into a powder employed in countless commercial applications. Based on this, HSM is currently experimenting an initial product that accumulates more than 6 % hydrogen by weight but a more cost efficient product will carry over 9 % hydrogen by weight, which could bring acceptance as industrial standard.

This breakthrough could boost the development of hydrogen fuel cell and hydrogen powered vehicles. Improvement in hydrogen storage and distribution will lead to lighter, safer, and more economical means than the existing ones. "We not only see these technologies being adaptable for current hydrogen applications but for future ones such as automotive, distributed and bulk energy, and residential fuel cells. From an environmental perspective, this will also help reduce greenhouse gases and non-renewable energy use", Willson said.