Rust: A Potential Source of Renewable Energy?

We often associate rust with decay. Scientists at Caltech, however, view rust in a different light — as a way of gathering electricity.

Scientists, in their new study, show that thin films of rust, which is nothing more than iron oxide, could be used to generate electricity when they interact with salt water.

Combining metal compounds and salt water is a well-known way of conducting electricity, since chlorine and sodium ions can carry electrical currents. The process can even be replicated in your kitchen.
But the process at hand, developed by Caltech professor of chemistry Tom Miller and Dow Professor of Chemistry at Northwestern Franz Geiger, doesn't feature any chemical reactions. Instead, the team focused on Newton's 3rd Law—for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction—by converting the kinetic energy of moving salt water into electricity.
This process is more commonly known as the electrokinetic effect and has been seen before in thin films of graphene, tightly bound in a carbon atom's honeycomb lattice. At its best, the electrokinetic effect can generate electricity with around 30 percent efficiency—that's noticeably higher than modern solar panels.
"A similar effect has been seen in some other materials. You can take a drop of saltwater and drag it across graphene and see some electricity generated," Miller says in a press statement.
The problem with graphene is scaling up. It could be expensive to get enough graphene to generate enough current to be useful. Rust, on the other hand, is very easy to acquire.

What are your thoughts on this one?

Know more about the study over at Popular Mechanics.

(Image Credit: Gellinger/ Pixabay)


Login to comment.




Email This Post to a Friend
"Rust: A Potential Source of Renewable Energy?"

Separate multiple emails with a comma. Limit 5.

 

Success! Your email has been sent!

close window
X

This website uses cookies.

This website uses cookies to improve user experience. By using this website you consent to all cookies in accordance with our Privacy Policy.

I agree
 
Learn More