Imagine if you will, a future where sunflowers power your car. Impossible right? Not so, according to a group of British researchers. A team of researchers from the University of Leeds has conducted a study and tests to ascertain whether sunflower oil could be used to separate hydrogen molecules from oxygen in water. And what they have found is truly shocking. The team recently presented its findings to the American Chemical Society for its consideration. Now the technology is still in its infancy, but if significant investments are forthcoming, the process could become a viable solution to the world’s energy needs.
Hydrogen has so much potential that is yet to be fully explored in the energy sector
The news coming from the team at the University of Leeds is a promising sign that hydrogen has a lot of potential that is yet to be fully explored. The energy sector has seen a rise in costs, especially in the non-renewable sector. Which has led many experts in the field to wonder if there is a viable form of energy production that could lead us away from the fossil fuels that have ravaged the planet and caused unprecedented levels of global warming.
The British team of researchers has stated that the process makes use of nickel and carbon-based catalysts to orchestrate a chain of chemical reactions that split the hydrogen molecules from the sunflower oil. They claim that the process would allow automotive manufacturers to build hydrogen combustion engines in cars that have no need for the large and cumbersome tanks currently needed in hydrogen-powered vehicles.
While Hydrogen is abundant, it remains a challenge to extract it for our usage
Hydrogen is the most abundant element in the universe; however, it is rarely found on its own and is nearly always attached to another element in some shape or form. What has limited the progress in the hydrogen sector is the challenging extraction process to access that sweet, sweet hydrogen. The process of extracting the hydrogen is often very expensive and, in some instances, can create more greenhouse gases than that of fossil fuels, which is counterproductive to say the least.
“The production of hydrogen from biomass and bio-oils represents a realistic renewable source. This particular process could enable hydrogen to be produced from vegetable-oil-derived materials by either stationary fuel processors, or even on-board processors in fuel-cell cars.” – Dr Andrew Moss, a member of the research team at Leeds
The researchers are adamant that they are able to balance the emissions created by splitting the sunflower oil to create hydrogen, with the need for reducing greenhouse gas emissions by simply planting more sunflowers. Which in turn will create more oil to fuel our needs. Innovative processes have been pioneered in the hydrogen sector that could enable it to fulfill its promise of becoming the fuel of the future.
“Instead of using hydrogen storage on the vehicle you would use a conventional liquid [bio-]fuel. This takes away one of the problems of hydrogen storage.” – Dr Andrew Moss
Can the research team from Leeds improve on their initial findings
So long as they receive adequate resources to continue their research into the process, we can see more innovative and pioneering processes taking place in the not-too-distant future. Recent discoveries of vast troves of hydrogen right beneath our feet have the renewable energy sector jumping for joy as they aim to make hydrogen more financially feasible for the future. We all know the era of fossil fuels is coming to an end soon. And the world is searching furiously in every corner of the world for the next fuel of tomorrow.
