Discussion Notes - Fuel Cells - February 19, 2008

 

Igor: Microbial fuel cells (MFC), bacteria as catalyst to oxidize glucose fuel

Glucose leads to fuel + water

Advantages- use microbes from waste resources

Alex L: NYT, scientist in Los Alamos, gas from carbon dioxide in the air, blow air over solution of K2CO3 (the solutions absorbs the CO2), turns into methanol/gas/jet fuel, economically viable when gas costs $4.60/gallon, goal to create nuclear plant to power this process of removing CO2 to make fuel

Greg: Hydrogen economy a whole different market, not fully sustainable in the sense that you need energy to create the hydrogen, certain range of temperatures (some don’t work above 40 degrees C), hydrogen combustion (dangers of explosion? Dangerous relative to gas?), 50% efficient

Alex C: MIT Technology Review, early 2007, GM fleet of hydrogen cars for public use, 100 cars to 100 homes, letting people make hydrogen in garage, stupid of GM? EV1 again?, by the time you get to the car, you lose ¾ of energy, plug-in-hybrid is the next step

Maurice: hydrogen fuel cell better than methane and gasoline POX (partially oxidized), more cost effective, different means of getting to H2- natural gas-to-H2, methanol-to-H2, trucking LH2, shipping LH2, solar and wind powered hydrogen production, 106 mpg

Methane vs. Oxidized Gasoline vs. Hydrogen

Adam: Honda FCX Clarity, first- fuel cell based on fluorine, operated at 80 degrees C, in 1999, new one (spring 2008)- 100 KW of power, volume=52 liters (down from 134 from ’99 model), max temp 95 degrees C, 57% deceleration is captured

Edo: Business News, iafrica.com, wave of the future for 3rd world, fuel cell tech is pivotal, South Africa rates hydrogen fuel cell tech as #1 initiative, don’t want to rely on natural gas, want to use reactors/PV before fuel cells, power hospitals/home/schools/office buildings, could S. Africa really do this?, gov’t corruption problem, need solid institutions for this to work

Shyaam: Stricter air pollution standards, longer drives are a challenge, on average people drive only 2 hrs a day, existing natural gas pipelines could transport methane, conversion mechanism inside car is prone to break down/maintain, infrastructure cost per car = $500-1000

 

Why do we drive so much? Look at Europe! Taxes higher

Anderson contacts- California Clean Tech Innovations Conference, get 15 people to go volunteer to get in for free, other contacts in Anderson- Norit (involved with programming at Anderson)

 

Biofuels project- buy vegetable (e.g. sunflower) oil and make a basic transesterification reaction, 1 gallon, drive the car on campus? Show off? See how many miles we can get, Culver City (green buses)use diesel- 92 diesel buses already