The environment may be saved yet, if scientists from CalTech and Swiss Federal Institute of Technology are successful in perfecting a technique of converting various natural resources, like water and sunlight, into fuel for car engines and cell phone batteries. It could save mankind from scavenging the Earth for more and more natural resources and causing environmental havoc.
While some techniques for converting water and carbon dioxide into usable fuel have been known and used for sometime, the techniques involve the usage of expensive metals like platinum, or expensive metals to trigger chemical reactions. This drawback makes these procedures economically impracticable on a large scale.
However, the new technique being promoted by the CalTech and Swiss Federal Institute of Technology scientists uses ceria, a pale yellowish- white powder, capable of absorbing small quantities of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. Ceria is the oxidized form of Cerium. Cerium being about 100,000 times more abundantly available than rare and expensive metals like platinum, makes the raw material cost come down. Therefore, this technique is going to be more practicable in generating fuel on an ongoing basis.
Ceria, when heated to over 3000 degrees Fahrenheit, releases oxygen and leaves a vacuum, which is then filled by forceful injection of water and carbon dioxide. This mixture is then reheated. Ceria sucks out the oxygen from water and CO2, with an output of oxygenated ceria. Other byproducts are carbon monoxide and hydrogen gas, of which the latter is highly pure. That is why this hydrogen can be used as power for cars or other devices using hydrogen fuel cells. As of now, the percentage of harvested fuel is as low as 1% of the solar energy used. But sunlight being almost infinitely available, this should not pose a problem in the further progress of this campaign.
Via: Fast Company
