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New Hydrogen-Making Method Could Give a Boost to Fuel-Cell Vehicles
(Emphasis added.)
http://www.technologyreview.com/news/517281/new-hydrogen-making-method-could-give-a-boost-to-fuel-cell-vehicles/
[font face=Serif][font size=5]New Hydrogen-Making Method Could Give a Boost to Fuel-Cell Vehicles[/font]
[font size=4]The chemical company BASF has found a greener way to make hydrogen, reviving hopes for fuel-cell vehicles.[/font]
[font size=3]Hydrogen-powered vehicles have been pitched as a greener alternative to gas-powered vehicles, but one problem with this is that the hydrogen is typically produced from a fossil fuel—natural gas—in a process that releases a lot of carbon dioxide.
BASF, the world’s largest chemical company, may have a solution. It’s developing a process that could cut those emissions in half, making hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles significantly cleaner than electric vehicles in most locations (the environmental benefits of electric cars vary depending on how the electricity is generated). Beyond providing a cleaner source of hydrogen for fuel-cell vehicles, the process could also help clean up industrial processes, like oil refining, that use large amounts of hydrogen.
BASF is working on a pilot plant to demonstrate the technology as part of a $30 million project partially financed by the German government. A second part of the project will demonstrate a new way to use carbon dioxide emissions as a raw material for chemicals and fuels, by combining them with the hydrogen produced in BASF’s low-carbon emissions process.
…
That’s partly because generating high temperatures requires a lot of energy, and producing that energy usually involves carbon dioxide emissions, which would offset much of the potential environmental benefit. BASF has found better ways to recycle heat within its system, greatly decreasing the amount of energy needed. “The hydrogen production will be cost-competitive, while at the same time having the added advantage of having a reduced carbon footprint,” says Andreas Bode, the BASF project coordinator.
…[/font][/font]
[font size=4]The chemical company BASF has found a greener way to make hydrogen, reviving hopes for fuel-cell vehicles.[/font]
[font size=3]Hydrogen-powered vehicles have been pitched as a greener alternative to gas-powered vehicles, but one problem with this is that the hydrogen is typically produced from a fossil fuel—natural gas—in a process that releases a lot of carbon dioxide.
BASF, the world’s largest chemical company, may have a solution. It’s developing a process that could cut those emissions in half, making hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles significantly cleaner than electric vehicles in most locations (the environmental benefits of electric cars vary depending on how the electricity is generated). Beyond providing a cleaner source of hydrogen for fuel-cell vehicles, the process could also help clean up industrial processes, like oil refining, that use large amounts of hydrogen.
BASF is working on a pilot plant to demonstrate the technology as part of a $30 million project partially financed by the German government. A second part of the project will demonstrate a new way to use carbon dioxide emissions as a raw material for chemicals and fuels, by combining them with the hydrogen produced in BASF’s low-carbon emissions process.
…
That’s partly because generating high temperatures requires a lot of energy, and producing that energy usually involves carbon dioxide emissions, which would offset much of the potential environmental benefit. BASF has found better ways to recycle heat within its system, greatly decreasing the amount of energy needed. “The hydrogen production will be cost-competitive, while at the same time having the added advantage of having a reduced carbon footprint,” says Andreas Bode, the BASF project coordinator.
…[/font][/font]
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