Ethanol & Fuel Cells: Converging Paths of Opportunity

[JohnWxy]

http://www.ethanolrfa.org/objects/documents/129/rfa_fuel_cell_white_paper.pdf

This is a report on the use of ethanol as a source of hydrogen in fuel cell cars. This is a more practical approach than using free hydrogen (safer, cheaper - no major infrastructure to be built as is the case for free hydrogen). Very interesting reading!

excerpts (emphases my own_JW)

Ethanol is a hydrogen-rich liquid, which overcomes both the
storage and infrastructure challenges of hydrogen for fuel cell
applications. There are no technical barriers to the use of ethanol
in fuel cells. Because ethanol is far easier to transport and store
than hydrogen, fuel reforming – which uses a chemical process to
extract hydrogen from fuel – offers a practical solution to the
challenge of providing hydrogen to fuel cells onboard vehicles or
for remote or stationary applications. In addition, ethanol is easier
to reform than gasoline and most alternative fuels because of its
relatively simple molecular structure.


Ethanol and Fuel Cells: Converging Paths of Opportunity
Automotive applications

In California, industry and government teamed to form the
California Fuel Cell Partnership (CaFCP) to conduct near-term
demonstrations of fuel cell vehicles. A major focus of the
partnership is to evaluate and demonstrate the viability of the
alternative fuel infrastructure technology for fuel cell vehicles.

The fuels assessment study released by the Partnership in October
2001 presented the following conclusions about ethanol as a fuel
for fuel cell vehicles:

· A “major advantage” of ethanol is its compatibility with
gasoline reformer technology and its flexibility to be used
neat (i.e., only ethanol) or in a range of gasoline/ethanol
blends.

· Flexibility, combined with ethanol’s compatibility with the
gasoline infrastructure, means that ethanol can be
optimized regionally and according to ethanol economics
and availability vs. gasoline. This is the only proposed fuel
cell vehicle fueling strategy that does not require the
commitment of major infrastructure investments to a
single fuel.

· An ethanol reformer could be simpler, more reliable, and
less costly than a gasoline/multifuel reformer, increasing
ethanol’s attractiveness as a neat fuel for fuel cell vehicles.
As the favorable cost, environmental, and energy security benefits
of using ethanol in fuel cells have achieved greater recognition,
industry has followed suit by taking action. For example:

· US DOE and the Illinois Department of Commerce and Community Affairs
partnered with Caterpillar, Nuvera Fuel Cells, and Williams Bio-Energy to design,
fabricate, and demonstrate the nation’s first commercial ethanol-powered fuel cell
system. The 13kW ethanol-fueled PEM stationary fuel cell system will power
William’s security office and visitor’s center in Pekin, Illinois.

· PSA Peugeot Citroën has made biofuels one of its main avenues of research.
Produced from grain or sugar beet crops in the case of ethanol, or from oil-bearing
plants such as rapeseed and soybeans in the case of oil methyl esters, biofuels are
essentially renewable energy sources. In addition to their substantial contribution to
attenuating the greenhouse effect, these fuels offer environmentally friendly
performance, notably by reducing particle emissions.

Such liquid-fueled fuel cell vehicles will take most of this decade to commercialize.

Driving on Ethanol
· An ethanol fuel cell vehicle (FCV) will emit about 13% of the tailpipe pollutants compared with a gasoline vehicle and less than half the pollutants of even a gasoline hybrid vehicle.

· Greenhouse gas emissions from an ethanol FCV would be substantially less than even an
advanced vehicle using a gasoline internal combustion engine. The ethanol FCV contributions to greenhouse gases could be close to zero if cellulosic biomass is used for the ethanol feedstock.

· Unlike hydrogen and methanol, ethanol poses no unique or potentially “show-stopping” health and safety hazards.

· Unlike other fuel cell alternative fuels like hydrogen or methanol, ethanol has a very positive
environmental, health, and safety footprint with no major uncertainties or hazards.

Source: Based on 2001 California
Fuel Cell Partnership Study

This paper presents a vision of how ethanol and fuel cells can be combined to create significant
synergy, reaching markets and bringing benefits that are not achievable with any other fuel or
with any other power technology. In the pages ahead, we will describe these benefits and present
a roadmap for how these synergies can be developed in an effective and stepwise fashion
through contributions from the ethanol, fuel cell, automotive, and utility industries along with
support from state and federal governments. The basis or platform for this vision is the existing,
ongoing investment in ethanol and fuel cell markets, which has already been committed by
government and industry.

As outlined in this paper, we believe ethanol fuel cells merit a higher degree of focus of existing
government program resources because the societal benefits are broad and pervasive, such as
lowering emissions, improving air quality, increasing energy security, and creating economic
opportunities.

For private entities investing in fuel cells and ethanol production, a focus on ethanol fuel cells
will expand and diversify markets. With relatively minor further investment, ethanol used in fuel
cells will create substantial financial opportunity, energy independence, and environmental
progress for the US.

Ethanol: A “Flexible Fuel” Coming of Age

Ethanol produced from the starch in corn and other feedstocks has been successfully used for decades as a transportation fuel in the US and many other parts of the world. Ethanol’s technical features are strong – it is an energy-dense liquid so it stores compactly, and it contains 35 percent oxygen, so it aids in clean combustion. Because it is domestically produced, ethanol can directly displace imported oil and petroleum products, contributing to US energy security, and it provides economic support and alternative markets for agricultural crops. When ethanol is substituted for petroleum, the environmental benefits include lower CO2 and tailpipe emissions. And unlike other oxygenates, ethanol is not harmful to the environment in the event of a fuel spill or leak.

Because of these attributes, ethanol has a strong future as an alternative fuel or fuel additive for internal combustion engines. The demand for ethanol is growing and the ethanol industry has
responded with improved, more efficient production technology, greater production capacity, and a significantly broader distribution infrastructure that now includes most of the
pollution-challenged areas of the US.

[buddysmellgood]

1. Check this out. Much better than ethanol which takes almost as much

energy in production as it makes.
The technology was spun off into a company called Virent. www.virent.com

http://www.engr.wisc.edu/news/headlines/2003/Jun30.html

[JohnWxy]

2. that's a lot more details than I have been able to find on the

University of Wisconsin's work in this area. Thanks.

A company called Acta is developing reformers using metals other than platinum. The Japanese are really jumping on this. I hope Detroit doesn't let the Japanese out-fox them on this technology too. Then the days really are numbered for the American auto industry!

http://www.fuelcellsworks.com/Supppage2748.html

Acta proprietary nanotechnology has enabled it to develop a new, unique family of catalysts called HYPERMEC™ catalysts which breakdown the barriers to the commercialisation of the fuel cells for mass market applications. HYPERMEC™ catalysts use low cost materials, work at low temperatures, enable use of cheap, safe and environmentally friendly fuels and solve other technical issues, thereby creating the possibility of producing fuel cells for consumer products.

Acta’s HYPERMEC™ catalysts are platinum free and perform as well as or better than platinum catalysts depending on which fuel they are working with. In addition, while HYPERMEC™ catalysts can function on methanol and hydrogen, the two most common fuels currently used by the fuel cell industry at present, fuel cells using Acta’s catalysts can also run directly on ethanol, a safe, practical and widely distributed fuel at room temperature, which platinum catalysed fuel cells cannot.

Commenting on the Summit Medichem contract win, Paolo Bert, President, Acta said, “We are delighted to have signed the deal with Summit Medi-Chem. We believe this contract with one of Japan’s leading industrial companies will enable Acta to rapidly develop a close relationship with the Japanese OEM’s, who are key challengers in the race to introduce fuel cell powered portable devices to the mass market. The commitment of Summit Medi-Chem and the feedback from their customers confirms our belief that Acta’s technology is scientifically innovative and commercially very promising.”

Here is a link to Acta's site:

http://www.acta-nanotech.com/fivereasons/3fuel.aspx

and:

Note at this link they are projecting automotive applications in 3 to 10 years!

http://www.acta-nanotech.com/market/applications.aspx


a previous post on Acta patent: http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=115x45476

[buddysmellgood]

3. Oh, I just read your post on Acta on another thread. That's very

interesting.

[rfkrfk]

4. lets take turns driving the 20 Honda fuelcell cars that were built

{Honda FCX}

fuel cells for cars --> fantasy

[4dsc]

5. fuel cells for cars --> fantasy

Well put!!