Environment & Energy
Related: About this forumElectricity from seawater: New method efficiently produces hydrogen peroxide for fuel cells
Phys.org | May 20, 2016 by Lisa Zyga
Scientists have used sunlight to turn seawater (H2O) into hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), which can then be used in fuel cells to generate electricity. It is the first photocatalytic method of H2O2 production that achieves a high enough efficiency so that the H2O2 can be used in a fuel cell.
The researchers, led by Shunichi Fukuzumi at Osaka University, have published a paper on the new method of the photocatalytic production of hydrogen peroxide in a recent issue of Nature Communications.
There are 22 Litres of Hydrogen in ONE TABLESPOON of water
"The most earth-abundant resource, seawater, is utilized to produce a solar fuel that is H2O2," Fukuzumi told Phys.org.
The biggest advantage of using liquid H2O2 instead of gaseous hydrogen (H2), as most fuel cells today use, is that the liquid form is much easier to store at high densities. Typically, H2 gas must be either highly compressed, or in certain cases, cooled to its liquid state at cryogenic temperatures. In contrast, liquid H2O2 can be stored and transported at high densities much more easily and safely...snip
...In the new study, the researchers developed a new photoelectrochemical cell, which is basically a solar cell that produces H2O2. When sunlight illuminates the photocatalyst, the photocatalyst absorbs photons and uses the energy to initiate chemical reactions (seawater oxidation and the reduction of O2) in a way that ultimately produces H2O2...snip more
http://phys.org/news/2016-05-electricity-seawater-method-efficiently-hydrogen.html
As these prophets said- Solar Hydrogen is the fuel of the future
http://www.amazon.com/Solar-Hydrogen-Future-Mario-Pagliaro/dp/1849731950/
The days of abundant cheap green electricity are almost here- and *everything* will change.
日本では、水素がナンバー1であります
eppur_se_muova
(36,227 posts)Using H2O2 as an oxidizer in place of O2 is likely to deliver *less* energy. Aside from use as a monopropellant in satellite attitude thrusters, H2O2 is not of much use in energy storage or delivery.
H2O2 in concentrated form also has stability issues ... it can spontaneously decompose, especially in the presence of certain transition metal salts. The more concentrated, the worse the problem.
The ability to produce H2O2 by a new process is interesting, but it's not going to affect energy storage or transportation.