http://www.technologyreview.com/articles/04/12/ap_121704.asp
Alcohol Fuel Cell Goes Micro
By Technology Research News December 17, 2004
There's a lot of energy in ethanol, which is non-toxic and can be made cheaply from corn.
Researchers from Saint Louis University, who earlier this year developed a fuel cell using enzymes to generate electricity from ethanol, have built a microchip-based version of the device.
The trick to constructing the biofuel cell was creating a sheltered environment for the enzymes, which are fairly sensitive. The researchers coated the carbon anode, or positive electrode, of the fuel cell with polymethylene green, an electocatalyst, then added a nafion membrane containing the immobilized enzyme alcohol dehydrogenase.
The biofuel cell showed an electrical potential of 0.34 volts and current density of 53 microamps per square centimeter, according to the researchers. Multiple cells can be stacked, and the device can be integrated into a computer chip.
The microchip biofuel cell could eventually be used in place of rechargeable batteries. Instead of recharging by plugging into a wall outlet like batteries, the biofuel would be recharged by adding a few milliliters, or thousandths of a liter, of alcohol. The micro fuel cell could also be used to power sensors and labs-on-a-chip.
The researchers' prototype consists of a 200-micron-wide, three-centimeter-long channel in a plastic chip. The bottom of the channel is lined with the carbon anode, which is covered by the electric catalyst and membrane. The researchers tested the fuel cell by measuring the electricity generated as one microliter, or millionths of a liter, per minute of ethanol flowed through the channel. A drop of water contains about 50 microliters.
The biofuel cell's enzyme catalysts are renewable. Most fuel cells catalyze reactions with metals, which are relatively expensive and not renewable.
The work is scheduled to appear in an upcoming issue of Lab-on-a-Chip.
- - - - -
I remembered recently reading an article about a company in Missouri working on a process called thermal depolymerization. After a bit of searching I found the article and the company's website. They created a machine that uses the remains from a Butterball turkey plant and converts it into oil, gasoline, and a few other useful and environmentally friendly by-products. The plant in its current capacity has the ability to produce about 500 barrels a day. If the plants were installed on a national scale we could easily satisfy our demand for oil. According to the article, "Just converting all the U.S. agricultural waste into oil and gas would yield the energy equivalent of 4 billion barrels of oil annually. In 2001 the United States imported 4.2 billion barrels of oil." Here is the kicker though. The machine can also process other things such as "tires, plastic bottles, harbor-dredged muck, old computers, municipal garbage, cornstalks, paper-pulp effluent, infectious medical waste, oil-refinery residues, even biological weapons such as anthrax spores." If this technology takes root, we could easily supply ourselves with more oil than we consume, reduce waste from municipal, agricultural and industrial sources, and eliminate our dependence on foreign oil.
For anyone interested in learning more here are the links:
http://forums.biodieselnow.com/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=829
http://www.changingworldtech.com/
- - - - -
US Oil Consumption Statistics, 2003 (source):
Average Barrels of Crude Oil Used daily: 20.034 Million
Average Barrels of Gasoline & Diesel Used daily: 12.862 Million
Estimated Average Amount of Gasoline & Diesel used daily by Light Duty Vehicles (LDVs) (source):
6.5 Million Barrels
US Average LDV Fuel Economy for 2004 (source):
20.8 Miles per US Gallon
Average Daily Consumption of Gasoline & Diesel if Average LDV Fuel Economy was increased by 10%:
5.9 Million Barrels
Savings, estimating 42 gallons per barrel and an average price of $1.90 per gallon of fuel:
$47.2 Million
Average Daily Consumption of Gasoline & Diesel if Average LDV Fuel Economy was increased by 20%:
10.718 Million Barrels
Savings, estimating 42 gallons per barrel and an average price of $1.90 per gallon of fuel:
$86.4 Million
Average Daily Consumption of Gasoline & Diesel if Average LDV Fuel Economy was increased by 30%:
9.893 Million Barrels
Savings, estimating 42 gallons per barrel and an average price of $1.90 per gallon of fuel:
$119.7 Million
Therefore, the US economy could save almost $50 Million per day (or over $18 Billion per year) by increasing LDV fuel economy by just 10%.
The savings from increasing LDV fuel economy by 10%, 20%, and 30% would only be 0.1%, 0.3%, and 0.4%, respectively. If we calculate the annual savings per registered vehicle (which is realistically how the savings would be distributed) using the value of 85.2 Million private & commercial vehicles (source), we get annual savings of $208, $370, and $512 per registered vehicle from increasing LDV fuel economy by 10%, 20%, and 30%.
What are your opinions? Worth it or not?
Alcohol Fuel Cell Goes Micro
By Technology Research News December 17, 2004
There's a lot of energy in ethanol, which is non-toxic and can be made cheaply from corn.
Researchers from Saint Louis University, who earlier this year developed a fuel cell using enzymes to generate electricity from ethanol, have built a microchip-based version of the device.
The trick to constructing the biofuel cell was creating a sheltered environment for the enzymes, which are fairly sensitive. The researchers coated the carbon anode, or positive electrode, of the fuel cell with polymethylene green, an electocatalyst, then added a nafion membrane containing the immobilized enzyme alcohol dehydrogenase.
The biofuel cell showed an electrical potential of 0.34 volts and current density of 53 microamps per square centimeter, according to the researchers. Multiple cells can be stacked, and the device can be integrated into a computer chip.
The microchip biofuel cell could eventually be used in place of rechargeable batteries. Instead of recharging by plugging into a wall outlet like batteries, the biofuel would be recharged by adding a few milliliters, or thousandths of a liter, of alcohol. The micro fuel cell could also be used to power sensors and labs-on-a-chip.
The researchers' prototype consists of a 200-micron-wide, three-centimeter-long channel in a plastic chip. The bottom of the channel is lined with the carbon anode, which is covered by the electric catalyst and membrane. The researchers tested the fuel cell by measuring the electricity generated as one microliter, or millionths of a liter, per minute of ethanol flowed through the channel. A drop of water contains about 50 microliters.
The biofuel cell's enzyme catalysts are renewable. Most fuel cells catalyze reactions with metals, which are relatively expensive and not renewable.
The work is scheduled to appear in an upcoming issue of Lab-on-a-Chip.
- - - - -
I remembered recently reading an article about a company in Missouri working on a process called thermal depolymerization. After a bit of searching I found the article and the company's website. They created a machine that uses the remains from a Butterball turkey plant and converts it into oil, gasoline, and a few other useful and environmentally friendly by-products. The plant in its current capacity has the ability to produce about 500 barrels a day. If the plants were installed on a national scale we could easily satisfy our demand for oil. According to the article, "Just converting all the U.S. agricultural waste into oil and gas would yield the energy equivalent of 4 billion barrels of oil annually. In 2001 the United States imported 4.2 billion barrels of oil." Here is the kicker though. The machine can also process other things such as "tires, plastic bottles, harbor-dredged muck, old computers, municipal garbage, cornstalks, paper-pulp effluent, infectious medical waste, oil-refinery residues, even biological weapons such as anthrax spores." If this technology takes root, we could easily supply ourselves with more oil than we consume, reduce waste from municipal, agricultural and industrial sources, and eliminate our dependence on foreign oil.
For anyone interested in learning more here are the links:
http://forums.biodieselnow.com/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=829
http://www.changingworldtech.com/
- - - - -
US Oil Consumption Statistics, 2003 (source):
Average Barrels of Crude Oil Used daily: 20.034 Million
Average Barrels of Gasoline & Diesel Used daily: 12.862 Million
Estimated Average Amount of Gasoline & Diesel used daily by Light Duty Vehicles (LDVs) (source):
6.5 Million Barrels
US Average LDV Fuel Economy for 2004 (source):
20.8 Miles per US Gallon
Average Daily Consumption of Gasoline & Diesel if Average LDV Fuel Economy was increased by 10%:
5.9 Million Barrels
Savings, estimating 42 gallons per barrel and an average price of $1.90 per gallon of fuel:
$47.2 Million
Average Daily Consumption of Gasoline & Diesel if Average LDV Fuel Economy was increased by 20%:
10.718 Million Barrels
Savings, estimating 42 gallons per barrel and an average price of $1.90 per gallon of fuel:
$86.4 Million
Average Daily Consumption of Gasoline & Diesel if Average LDV Fuel Economy was increased by 30%:
9.893 Million Barrels
Savings, estimating 42 gallons per barrel and an average price of $1.90 per gallon of fuel:
$119.7 Million
Therefore, the US economy could save almost $50 Million per day (or over $18 Billion per year) by increasing LDV fuel economy by just 10%.
The savings from increasing LDV fuel economy by 10%, 20%, and 30% would only be 0.1%, 0.3%, and 0.4%, respectively. If we calculate the annual savings per registered vehicle (which is realistically how the savings would be distributed) using the value of 85.2 Million private & commercial vehicles (source), we get annual savings of $208, $370, and $512 per registered vehicle from increasing LDV fuel economy by 10%, 20%, and 30%.
What are your opinions? Worth it or not?