CO2 extraction from the atmosphere vs the ocean Direct air capture systems currently work by taking CO2 directly out of the air and removing it directly from the atmosphere where it contributes to global warming. While atmospheric direct air capture has a positive effect on the environment, it is also a relatively energy intensive process […]
The electrolysis water purity problem In totality, only some 3% of all water on the Earth is freshwater. The remaining 97% is made up of brackish water and saltwater that contain elevated levels of dissolved salts and minerals. Traditional hydrogen producing PEM electrolysis systems depend on a supply of deionized freshwater to operate at highest […]
CO2 hydrogenation As hydrogen continues to increase in popularity as a fuel, demand for methanol and ethanol are also expected to increase. These chemicals are often made using a process called CO2 hydrogenation which reduces CO2 to CO and H2O via a thermodynamically intensive process called the reverse water gas shift reaction (RWGSR). CO2 […]
What is gold hydrogen? Many processes connect the oil and gas industry with the hydrogen industry. For example, blue, grey, and black hydrogen originate from oil and gas processing. Diesel and hydrogen hybrid engines combine hydrocarbon and hydrogen fuels. Oil and gas companies are leading the way into the research and development of white and […]
What is heavy water? Isotopologues are molecules which have the same chemical formula and whose atoms bond in similar arrangements, but have one or more atoms with a different number of neutrons than the parent molecule. Deuterium oxide, chemical formula D2O, more commonly referred to as heavy water, is a valuable water isotopologue in nuclear […]
Ammonia and the Haber-Bosch process In the 20th century, ammonia (NH3) was used primarily for fertilizer development. In the 21st century, ammonia is finding new use as a hydrogen energy carrier because hydrogen can easily be converted to and from ammonia. Because ammonia requires less pressure to liquefy and is easier to move or store […]
The PFAS “forever chemical” problem Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS) are two of hundreds of specific types of PFASs, or perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances. These substances, nicknamed forever chemicals, are found in various industrial applications due to their excellent ability to repel both water and oil. As a result, PFASs are used in […]
Explaining gyrotron geothermal drilling Gyrotron technology In plasma-based nuclear fusion reactors, in order to heat plasma to temperatures often exceeding 100 million K, gyrotrons generate millimeter electromagnetic waves which produce large amounts of heat. At these extreme temperatures, all types of solid matter vaporize rapidly. Gyrotron drilling An MIT startup, Quaise, is applying this same […]
Combining desalination, wastewater treatment, hydrogen production, and electricity generation Since the mid 2000s researchers have been developing microbial electrochemical systems (MESs), including microbial fuel cells (MFCs) which generate bioelectricity from exoelectrogenic bacteria. Two types of MESs of particular interest are microbial electrolysis cells which use bacteria to create hydrogen and other gases and microbial […]
Since the 1970’s, researchers have been creating hybrid hydrogen and diesel engines. In 2022, engineers from UNSW Sydney successfully retrofitted a diesel engine to run as a hydrogen-diesel hybrid engine at an incredible ratio of 90% hydrogen to 10% diesel by energy fraction. Compared to conventional diesel engines, hybrid hydrogen-diesel engines, also referred to as […]