New Research on Hydrogen Fuel Cells
AEN News
Washington - In research aimed at reducing American dependence
on petroleum-based fuels, a group of Agricultural Research
Service (ARS) scientists has found a way to replace the
petroleum used in today's hydrogen fuel cell membranes with
naturally occurring products.
Justin Barone and colleagues in ARS' Environmental Management
and Byproduct Utilization Laboratory in Beltsville, Md.,
have conducted preliminary studies which suggest the
possibility of replacing the conventional petroleum-based
main membrane in hydrogen fuel cells with biological products.
Hydrogen fuel cells have received a lot of attention as a
possible energy conversion mechanism. The coming of what's
being called a renewable "hydrogen economy" is being touted
as a feasible alternative to current economic reliance on
nonrenewable fossil fuels.
In the hydrogen economy, hydrogen fuel cells would replace
internal combustion engines in vehicles, and hydrogen would
replace gasoline. However, current hydrogen fuel cell
technology is heavily dependent on petroleum to make
both the fuel cells and the hydrogen fuel.
In biology, membranes surrounding cells routinely conduct
hydrogen ions through the cell walls. Borrowing from this
idea, Barone and his colleagues have focused their research
on bio-based, nonpetroleum membranes made from naturally
occurring products to conduct the hydrogen ions moving
in and out of fuel cells.
Further development of this type of innovative energy-generation
technology would help America move away from the widespread use
of petroleum and would address the need to explore alternative
energy sources
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