Hawaii
Energy Policy Forum > 2003
Articles
New research to run cars on flower power
Benjamin Fulford
forbes.com 12.23.02
from http://www.green-trust.org 12/02
Will the oilfields of the future be full of sunflowers? They
could be if Leeds fuel and energy researchers succeed in
producing hydrogen from sunflower oil.
Hydrogen is seen as the fuel of the future able to create
electricity with no harmful emissions to power everything
from cars, portable generators to flashlights and even homes
and factories.
But where is the hydrogen to come from, and can we mass-produce
it without creating more pollution problems? Researchers
Valerie Dupont, Jenny Jones, Edward Hampartsoumian and Andy
Ross are testing a novel system using only sunflower oil,
air, water vapour and two special catalysts.
"
Most methods of producing hydrogen burn another fuel for
energy, which itself creates pollution carbon monoxide, nitrogen
oxides and other emissions," said Dr Dupont. "Our
catalyst uses oxygen from the air to heat up naturally, and
this heat is used to reform the oil with steam to create
hydrogen. The excess carbon dioxide is taken into the second
catalyst, then released for storage or use in other chemical
processes, ensuring that damaging levels of CO2 aren’t
just put back into the atmosphere."
The researchers are working with industrial partners to identify
the best catalysts, and then optimising their system for
sunflower oil. But the process could be applied to other
lower grade forms of renewable fuel as well, and even be
used with oils made from waste.
"
Waste pyrolysis oil is currently burned as fuel, but this
can be quite polluting," said Dr Dupont. "Our system
would still make use of its energy potential, while allowing
the often noxious chemicals in the oil to be more easily
controlled."
The research is funded by the EPSRC for three years.
sspence@green-trust.org
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