The Energy Blog

Hydrogen Cars Still Decades Off

An article in today's Pittsburgh Post-Gazette made the case for the U.S. government switching its emphasis away from the hydrogen economy to technologies already available or close to it.  Two years ago Bush launched a $1.2 billion program to develop a commercially viable hydrogen fuel cell car.  This year he asked for an additional $500 million.  Congress is adding even more with the House energy bill authorizing an additional $4 billion and the Senate allocating $3.8 billion.

More and more scientists are saying that it will take decades to develop and implement the technology and the required infrastructure.  James Woolsey, the National Academy of Sciences and the American Physical Society all have stated their concerns that developing the hydrogen economy would take longer and cost more than anticipated and that we need to put more emphasis on using todays technology and near term developments.

Quoting from the article: "Raising fuel-economy standards for today's cars, increasing incentives for hybrid-gas-electric cars, funding research to allow "plug in" hybrid cars powered primarily by electricity and promoting alternative fuels like ethanol and biodiesel would reduce foreign oil dependence faster, critics said."

I couldn't have stated it better than the last paragraph.  When are our leaders going to get the message?  Please everyone write or e-mail your congressmen and senators stating your views on this issue. It's not too late, the Senate has not acted on the energy bill and a conference committee must settle the differences. 

A New Source of Hydrogen

Penn State researchers have demonstrated that hydrogen can be recovered from wastewater.  An article on the Renewable Energy Access Website tells about the process which can produce four times the hydrogen than can be produced directly by fermentation.  They use the same microbial fuel cell (MFC) that they have developed to clean wastewater and produce electricity.  To produce hydrogen they keep the oxygen out of the MFC and add a small amount of power to the system.  They call their hydrogen producing MFC a BioElectricrochemically Assisted Microbial Reactor or BEMAR. 

Only a tiny amount of electricity, about 0.25 volts is applied across an annode and a cathode inserted in the BEMAR.  In a university press release the process is described in more detail.  When bacterial eat the biomass contained in wastewater, they transfer electrons to the anode.  The bacteria also release protons which go into the solution.  The electrons migrate via a wire to the cathode where they are eltrochemically assisted to combine with the protons to form hydrogen gas.

A paper titled "Electrochemical Assisted Microbial Production of Hydrogen from Acetate" fully describes the approach.  The paper was authored by Hong Liu, a post graduate researcher; Stephen Grot, president and founder of Ion Power, Inc.; and Dr Bruce Logan, professor of environmental engineering and inventor of the MFC.  Grot is a former Penn State student who suggested the idea of modifying the MFC to generate hydrogen.   

Links at Logan's website reveal the following: The process releases about 50% of the hydrogen locked up in the biomass.  At this efficiency, if all the domestic wasetewater was treated by this process, about 4000 MW of electricity could be produced.  While this process will not sustain a hydrogen economy, it could offset the substantial costs of wastewater treatment.

This sounds like a very useful and environmentally friendly use of hydrogen if it all works out.  How about a fuel tank full of wastewater providing power for your car?

Proven Technology for the Next 20 Years

With oil probably peaking in less than 20 years, if not five years, the more I think we need an alternative to the emphasis being placed on the hydrogen economy.  Demonstrated and emerging technology as listed below likely to be the dominant technologies in the next thirty years.  None of these technologies alone can get us there but together but in some combination they make sense.

• The hybrid is here and can be ramped up as fast as anything.
• Diesel technology can be used now, and should be, as lower sulfur fuels are brought to market in 2005-2006. They will reduce the environmental impact of diesels significantly.  What we need is more models to choose from as there are very few.
• Electric cars and plug-in hybrids for commuting and shopping will be more attractive, with greater range, as gasoline prices go up and battery technology gets better as it is starting to.
• Unconventional oil is already starting to ramp up and will continue as oil companies cannot meet the demand.
• Ethanol production is already significant with 3.4 billion gallons produced in the US in 2004.
• Production costs for biodiesel can be reduced by using newer technologies.
• The Fischer-Tropsh process can be used to produce both ethanol and diesel in larger quantities, at lower cost, than current biofuel producers.  It can handle a much wider variety of feedstocks, like switchgrass, corn stover, wood chips, willows and poplars which are less costly.
• Coal liquefaction is a proven technology and could supply all of our needs, but not in the required time period.
• We can increase our electrical production from renewables like wind and solar systems.
• More rapid development of unconventional oil in Canada and Venezula.