Scientists develop new hydrogen reactor
Friday, February 13, 2004 Posted: 12:19 PM EST (1719 GMT)


MINNEAPOLIS, Minnesota (AP) -- Researchers say they have produced hydrogen from ethanol in a prototype reactor small enough and efficient enough to heat small homes and power cars.

The development could help open the way for cleaner-burning technology at home and on the road.

Current methods of producing hydrogen from ethanol require large refineries and copious amounts of fossil fuels, the University of Minnesota researchers said.

The reactor is a relatively tiny 2-foot-high apparatus of tubes and wires that creates hydrogen from corn-based ethanol. A fuel cell, which acts like a battery, then generates power.

"This points to a way to make renewable hydrogen that may be economical and available," said Lanny Schmidt, a chemical engineer who led the study. The work was outlined in Friday's issue of the journal Science.

Hydrogen power itself is hardly a new idea. Hydrogen fuel cells already propel experimental vehicles and supply power for some buildings. NASA has used them on spacecraft for decades.

But hydrogen is expensive to make and uses fossil fuels. The researchers say their reactor will produce hydrogen exclusively from ethanol and do it cheaply enough so people can buy hydrogen fuel cells for personal use.

They also believe their technology could be used to convert ethanol to hydrogen at fuel stations when cars that run solely on hydrogen enter the mass market.

Hydrogen does not emit any pollution or greenhouse gases. But unlike oil or coal, hydrogen must be produced -- there are no natural stores of it waiting to be pumped or dug out of the ground.

The new technology holds economic potential for Midwest farmers, who are leaders in the production of corn-based ethanol.

George Sverdrup, a technology manager at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, said he was encouraged by the research.

"When hydrogen takes a foothold and penetrates the marketplace, it will probably come from a variety of sources and be produced by a variety of techniques," he said. "So this particular advance and technology that Minnesota is reporting on would be one component in a big system."

The Minnesota researchers envision people buying ethanol to power the small fuel cell in their basements. The cell could produce 1 kilowatt of power, nearly enough for an average home.


http://www.cnn.com/2004/TECH/scienc...s.ap/index.html


At least we aren't falling behind in certain other areas ...

Although if this technology actually follows through we might need the midwest

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Retro ...

quote:

Originally posted by occrider Although if this technology actually follows through we might need the midwest

I prefer the midwest over the mideast

If they could find away to use sugar-ethanol then we might be able to overcome the negotiation problems over free trade with Austrilia - and kill two birds with one stone.


I don't know.. I fear this is a conspiracy by the big farming lobby for some reason.


... In other news today, the auto lobby has bought the farming lobby...

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quote:

[i][b]Although if this technology actually follows through we might need the midwest

You and your bias against anything more than 100 miles from D.C.

Without the midwest there would be no computers smaller than a house since John Bardeen did most of his transistor research at the Univ. of Illinois.

Oh yeah, you also would not be looking at webpages the way you do cause Scott Andressen wrote Mosaic while he was a student at same mentioned university and then went on to found Netscape.

Nor would you have MrSquirrel for he was produced at same said university

Of course there are parts of the midwest that I agree are useless...like Branson, MO.

Yoepus you forgot the latest news...the oil lobby has bought all other lobbies and are now the only lobby left.

MrS

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-"Reality" is the only word in the language that should always be used in quotes.

and who is pulling the strings of the autolobby?

The Mustard Lobby

quote:

Originally posted by MrSquirrel Nor would you have MrSquirrel for he was produced at same said university

When did you go there? I was a computer engineering student there from 1998-2001, until I realized I hated it and transfered to Ohio State to major in biology. I was one of *those* people that lived in Allen Hall (at least my first two years there). Then I moved out, became a hippy and played in a jam band (at Canopy Club). I then moved to Columbus and became a club kid. I liked the University, but I hated engineering and all those miles of fields surrounding the place. Oh and South Farms smells pretty bad too.

quote:

Originally posted by NeoPhono When did you go there? I was a computer engineering student there from 1998-2001, until I realized I hated it and transfered to Ohio State to major in biology. I was one of *those* people that lived in Allen Hall (at least my first two years there). Then I moved out, became a hippy and played in a jam band (at Canopy Club). I then moved to Columbus and became a club kid. I liked the University, but I hated engineering and all those miles of fields surrounding the place. Oh and South Farms smells pretty bad too.

I was there most of the time you were. Graduated in 2000. Did you have Friedman for CS 101?

God I hated that guy, lol.

I was a townie, my mom lives between Urbana and Danville.

Canopy Club.....that was the Brew and View the last time I was in there, and the last time before that it was the Thunderbird theater. I saw Kindergarten Cop there.

I lived in ISR fresh/soph years then out at Melrose last 2.

Best classes offered at UIUC are anything taught by Jerry Uhl (Calculus&[i]Mathematica[/i})

I was an einginerd for 3 semesters there then got "stupid" and transfered to theatre lol.

At least I now have a job using my degree....unlike the degree I would have had..most likely I wold have been a first round Boeing layoff had I stayed in AAE.


/off topic

MrS

___________________
Click the sig to see MrSquirrel

-"Reality" is the only word in the language that should always be used in quotes.

quote:

Originally posted by MrSquirrel You and your bias against anything more than 100 miles from D.C.

Well now that's just blatant slander! It's more like 1000 miles ... got to take into account the entire east coast ya know (minus georgia, south carolina, north carolina, western pennsylvania, and southern virginia).

quote:

Without the midwest there would be no computers smaller than a house since John Bardeen did most of his transistor research at the Univ. of Illinois.

Pfffttt who needs that??? Just the other day I was looking at my living room and noticed how much free space I had. If I had more computer taking up space I wouldn't need to buy more furniture. Besides .... illinois doesn't count as the midwest, it's an annexation of the east coast on the account of Chicago .

quote:

Oh yeah, you also would not be looking at webpages the way you do cause Scott Andressen wrote Mosaic while he was a student at same mentioned university and then went on to found Netscape.

Netscape??? Netscape????? In microsoft we trust!

quote:

Nor would you have MrSquirrel for he was produced at same said university

But if there were no midwest you would have went to an east coast school and we could have a new and improved MrSquirrel

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Retro ...

quote:

Originally posted by MrSquirrel I was there most of the time you were. Graduated in 2000. Did you have Friedman for CS 101? God I hated that guy, lol.

I actually was in ECE, so I took all the ECE courses (110, 290, etc.). The only CS class I took was 125 (java, I believe), with a professor named "Jason," (I think), who I remember being very pale and was rumored to never sleep. LOL

quote:

I was a townie, my mom lives between Urbana and Danville.

Well, at least you weren't one of the scary middle aged townies that hung out at college bars and tried to pick up college chicks.

quote:

Canopy Club.....that was the Brew and View the last time I was in there, and the last time before that it was the Thunderbird theater. I saw Kindergarten Cop there.

It's actually a pretty cool place to play/hang out, IMO. They are very jam band friendly, but they had some other cool acts like Victor Wooten, Digital Underground, etc.

quote:

I lived in ISR fresh/soph years then out at Melrose last 2.

Melrose? You rich or something? I actually thought about living there, but my room mates found it to be too far away. I actually lived in an apartment by Beckman for my last year there. ISR was the one in BFE, right..by the graveyard? The one where a psychic on Oprah predicted would be a murder on halloween or something, right? Do you remember that? I thought it was hilarious.

quote:

Best classes offered at UIUC are anything taught by Jerry Uhl (Calculus&[i]Mathematica[/i})

Can't say I remember taking anything by him.

quote:

I was an einginerd for 3 semesters there then got "stupid" and transfered to theatre lol.

Shoot, I was an engineer for three damn years before I smartened up. I did play in three jazz bands on campus, as well as the basketball band, muscial orchestras and for the men and womens glee club (don't laugh), all trying to escape the depressing reality of engineering. I realized I couldn't spend the rest of my life chained behind a computer, that's why I finally switched to biology (medicine) which I love. Working with people can actually be very rewarding!

quote:

At least I now have a job using my degree....unlike the degree I would have had..most likely I wold have been a first round Boeing layoff had I stayed in AAE.

Yeah, I think when we started it was the prime of the .com boom. Now engineering is just as volatile as any other profession. Medicine is where its at though. Grossly understaffed with total job security. People will always get sick and always fall down and break their shit. And with the "aging" population, it just gets better (for me). I still love computers though, but I couldn't be stuck behind one for the rest of my life.

quote:

Originally posted by occrider Pfffttt who needs that??? Just the other day I was looking at my living room and noticed how much free space I had. If I had more computer taking up space I wouldn't need to buy more furniture. Besides .... illinois doesn't count as the midwest, it's an annexation of the east coast on the account of Chicago .

Bah

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Netscape??? Netscape????? In microsoft we trust!

I was spaeking of the original idea that MS stole....kinda like they stole the windows idea from Apple.

quote:

But if there were no midwest you would have went to an east coast school and we could have a new and improved MrSquirrel

Nope, I would have gone to a West Coast school and become a tree hugger. Squirrels need to become one with their homes doncha know?

quote:

Originally posted by NeoPhono I actually was in ECE, so I took all the ECE courses (110, 290, etc.). The only CS class I took was 125 (java, I believe), with a professor named "Jason," (I think), who I remember being very pale and was rumored to never sleep. LOL

Did you have a big Indian grad named Shashi as a TA in one of your ECE labs? He is a buddy of mine lol.

quote:

Well, at least you weren't one of the scary middle aged townies that hung out at college bars and tried to pick up college chicks.

Nah...those guys probably got more than i did though

quote:

It's actually a pretty cool place to play/hang out, IMO. They are very jam band friendly, but they had some other cool acts like Victor Wooten, Digital Underground, etc.

I remember that the first real band they ever had was Garbage but it was the day after finals spring semester so no one was there....I was pissed afterwards that I did not decide to go.

quote:

Melrose? You rich or something? I actually thought about living there, but my room mates found it to be too far away. I actually lived in an apartment by Beckman for my last year there. ISR was the one in BFE, right..by the graveyard? The one where a psychic on Oprah predicted would be a murder on halloween or something, right? Do you remember that? I thought it was hilarious.

Melrose wasn't too bad.....we had 3 in a 4 bedroom but did not pay any more than we would have with 4 (they split rent up per room) was like 425 a month with phone, cable, and utilities included.

ISR is the one by Krannert.....is the nerd dorm lol.

I used to work at Beckman....wacky place there.

MrS (the thread jacker )

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quote:

Originally posted by occrider Netscape??? Netscape????? In microsoft we trust!

but IE is also built on mosaic... DO SOME RESEARCH FFS read the about dialog box in internet explorer