American scientists from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have developed a method for producing hydrogen fuel from empty aluminum cans, seawater and caffeine. The study was published in the scientific journal magazine Cell Reports Physical Science (CRPS).
The team built a small hydrogen reactor. It is filled with aluminum pellets from recycled beverage containers. The recyclables are pretreated with an alloy of gallium and indium that prevents a protective oxide film from forming when the metal comes into contact with salt water.
Since the reaction is slow due to the ions present in the liquid, the researchers added some caffeine to the solution, as the active element imidazole significantly accelerates the process. With its help, aluminum releases in five minutes the same amount of hydrogen as it would in two hours without a catalyst. Experiments have shown that one prepared aluminum granule releases 400 milliliters of hydrogen, while 1 gram of granule releases 1.3 liters of flammable gas.
According to engineers, their installation could solve the problem of storing and transporting hydrogen fuel, as this gas is complex and unsafe to transport due to its strong oxidizing properties and high volatility. Instead, experts recommend using stable aluminum, which produces hydrogen on site when needed.
They say a 20-kilogram supply of pellets could power a small submarine for 30 days by pumping surrounding seawater into the facility.
In the future, the researchers plan to find a way to extract water from air so that the reactor can be used in ground vehicles without the need to carry liquid.
Scientists had previously found a way to take water from dry desert air.
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Source: Gazeta
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