It is reported that, more recently, researchers at Purdue University in the United States have developed a new process for producing hydrogen using aluminum-antimony alloy water. This technology has a wide range of potential uses for energy, including providing raw materials for cars, fuel for submarines, and so on. This technology produces hydrogen by injecting water into the aluminum-bismuth alloy. After the aluminum-antimony alloy reacts with water, aluminum decomposes the water and takes oxygen away to release hydrogen gas. Now researchers have developed a new process for making aluminum-antimony alloy particles so that the synthetic particles can be placed in a tank and reacted to produce the required amount of hydrogen. The crucible in the alloy is a key component because aluminum and oxygen combine to form a layer of aluminum oxide on the surface of the aluminum. The crucible can prevent the formation of the film and allow the reaction to continue until all of the aluminum is used to produce hydrogen. Experts believe that using this technology to produce hydrogen will overcome the two major obstacles of hydrogen storage and transportation, so it has a wide range of application prospects. Recycling raw materials reduces costs Aluminum-antimony alloy reacts with water, aluminum becomes alumina, and waste alumina can be recycled into aluminum. Renewable aluminum is much cheaper than aluminum production from bauxite. The researchers found that the cost of using standard industrial equipment to recover alumina is much lower than previously estimated. The cost of recycling pure alumina to aluminum is 44 cents per kilogram, which is highly competitive with gasoline. For example, a medium-sized car equipped with a standard internal combustion engine will run for 350 miles, and if using gasoline, it will cost US$66 (gasoline price is US$0.73 per liter), and when using an Al-Mg alloy reactor, it only costs 70 dollars. If you use an aluminum-antimony alloy reactor, and then equipped with a 50% efficiency fuel cell, the cost can be reduced to 28 US dollars. The crucible in the alloy is an inert metal, which means that it can also be recycled and reused. This is particularly important, because at present, it is much more expensive than aluminum. In addition, while bauxite is used to produce aluminum, it is generally wasted as waste, so low-cost bismuth can be purchased as bauxite waste. The reaction process can use low-purity helium, which is much cheaper than high-purity helium used in the electronics industry. In addition, changing the alloy manufacturing process can change the proportion of metal components in the alloy, which can also greatly reduce the cost. The researchers found that the particles made by slow cooling of the melt alloy contained 80% aluminum and 20% yttrium, whereas the ratios of aluminum to yttrium in the particles originally made using the rapid cooling method were almost the opposite. The granules have good stability in dry air and react quickly with water to produce hydrogen. Decomposing water with such alloy particles has good commercial viability. According to this process, the existing aluminum in the United States can generate 10 billion watts of energy, which can meet the United States 35 years of power demand. If hydrogen is produced using impure distillers whose price is lower than $22/kg, it is known that the reserve of plutonium is also sufficient for the operation demand of 1 billion vehicles. Simple and environmentally friendly applications According to the requirements of the US Department of Energy to develop alternative fuel plans, in 2010, hydrogen storage devices for fuel cell vehicles should meet the following targets: The weight ratio of hydrogen to hydrogen storage devices (hydrogen density) should reach 6%. Assuming that 50% of the water produced by the reaction is recycled and recycled to participate in the reaction, this new alloy device will have a hydrogen density of more than 6%, which is in full compliance with the US DOE's above-mentioned index requirements. The new hydrogen production technology makes it possible to create a pollution-free diesel truck. Typically, truck drivers often keep the engine running during delivery or parking to provide power to the air-conditioning system, but such idling can cause serious air pollution. Researchers plan to design trucks to use diesel fuel for fuel while driving, and use hydrogen as fuel when parking. The waste discharged from a hydrogen-fired engine or a hydrogen-powered fuel cell is water, which can solve the problem of pollution caused by idling diesel trucks. The technology is also very suitable for submarines because it does not emit toxic gases and can be used in confined spaces so as not to damage the health of the crew. Another benefit of applying this technique to maritime operations is that you do not need to fetch water. A rapidly growing market is the use of hydrogen-driven emergency portable generators, which may be available within a year or two. Other potential applications include lawn mowers and personal electric vehicles such as golf carts and electric wheelchairs. Experts predict that in the next three to four years, golf carts will be equipped with aluminum-ruthenium alloy reactors, users can simply add water to produce hydrogen, use hydrogen-powered engines to drive golf carts.
