Researchers at Purdue University have developed an aluminum alloy that creates Hydrogen when mixed with water. This could be a breakthrough in the quest to turn Hydrogen into an economical and viable fuel since, prior to this discovery, isolating Hydrogen required a significant amount of energy.
More details available in Purdue's press release.
As for the aluminum alloy, pardon me if I remain a skeptic for a little while.
we have a perfectly sustainable energy source with solar and wind power, but no, lets replace gas with some other exhaustable resource. hydrogen may be cleaner burning, but doesn't it still release carbon dioxide?
i think its clearly obvious. we need bigger hummers and other ridiculously over sized vehicles, how else am i supposed to accentuate my small penis?
The article mentions nothing about carbon dioxide, which, along with carbon monoxide, is associated with burning fossil (carbon-based) fuels such as oil & gasoline. As far as I know, the only waste product of hydrogen fuel is water. This process, assuming it actually works, produces only water and aluminum oxide as waste; and it looks like they have a plan for how to handle the AlO. (Since AlO exists as a solid at Earth temperatures, it doesn't pollute the atmosphere. Don't eat it, though!
I kind of figured that gallium would be the sticky wicket here, but it seems like they've crunched the numbers there, too. And even if it means stopping to refuel a little more frequently, I won't mind if all it means is carrying a jug of water and a box of pellets in the trunk. No more hunting for a service station that's still open at 11:00 PM! And any opportunity to cut my expenses while allowing me to get to work & back is welcome.
I'm not ready to buy stock in the industry just yet. K. brings up a good point about Purdue's track record in the fuel technology department. For now, I've printed up the article for my files, and remain cautiously optimistic.
Hilarity ensued:
http://blog.oregonlive.com/breakingnews/2007/05/firefighters_resident_being_tr.html
http://blogtown.portlandmercury.com/2007/05/mercurypoisoning_victims_lose.php
No, JJ, as you should have learned in Chemistry 101, burning hydrogen produces hydrogen oxide, better known as water. The combustion can produces some nitrates, which will have to be scrubbed with a catalytic converter.
Lets not forget the millions of tons of toxic crap that comes out of every diesel engine on this planet. More toxic than petrol.
And of course all the inventors who have disapeared or silenced in the name of cheap renewable energy.
They had an alloy doing producing this reaction in 1957.
Of course, they didnt want to stop selling oil... so it disapeared.