Plant carbs harnessed to power cars..

[IGBT]

Text

The easiest way to extract energy from plants is simply to burn them, and convert the heat to electricity. Although this is good for stationary power plants, it isn't ideal for cars. Electric cars have to be recharged frequently, which may make them unsuitable for long journeys.

A better idea is to convert plant material into fuel that vehicles can use directly. This has been done with the fatty acids in vegetable oils, which make up a small part of plant material. But now researchers have found a way to create fuel from the carbohydrates that make up about 75% of a plant's dried weight.


The chemists first used a platinum catalyst to make carbohydrates containing five or six carbon atoms react with hydrogen gas: plant material provides both the carbs and the gas2.

A magnesium-based catalyst then knits these molecules together to create the longer carbon chains required for diesel fuel. Adding more pressurized hydrogen, and removing any remaining oxygen atoms with a platinum catalyst, delivers the finished fuel.

 

[Howard]

I'm all for stuff like this!

 

[IGBT]

..the problem is making enough of it. California alone uses 30 million gallons of gas a day most of which is used for basic transportation.

 

[jagec]

I hate the word "carbs".

My question is whether the process is worth the energy it takes. Biodiesel is fairly easy to make from veggy oil, but this process appears to be more involved.

 

[EightySix Four]

looks like the new "Green Gas" to me... Yes I know weak joke...

 

[bobsmith1492]

Isn't that called "ethanol", and haven't they done that for ages now?

Oh, nevermind; made from something else....

 

[inveterate]

AHHH, probably wont work. If i remember correctly the problem with Hydrogen fuel was the Catalyst "PLATINUM" required for it's various processes during production/actual usage. The prediction was that the H-CEll process would consume all the platinum in the world in a matter of 20 - 30 years. This Conversion to Hydrocarbon stuff also requires the EXPENSIVe/Rare PLatinum catalyst. Probably not cost effective nor will we have enough in the long run..

 

[IGBT]

..I recall Ford had developed a cat.that worked with out platinum..not shure what they used.

 

[Calin]

It won't replace all the fuel in the world - however, it might be able to make a difference. Reducing imports, reducing refineries load, it might be able even to lower the price of fossil fuels.
I hope it will work in an end

 

[santaliqueur]

Originally posted by: jagec
I hate the word "carbs"

CJ

 

[AbsoluteParadigm]

Originally posted by: inveterate
AHHH, probably wont work. If i remember correctly the problem with Hydrogen fuel was the Catalyst "PLATINUM" required for it's various processes during production/actual usage. The prediction was that the H-CEll process would consume all the platinum in the world in a matter of 20 - 30 years. This Conversion to Hydrocarbon stuff also requires the EXPENSIVe/Rare PLatinum catalyst. Probably not cost effective nor will we have enough in the long run..

Correct me if I'm wrong but I thought a catalyst by definition isn't used up in a reaction. A catalyst lowers the activiation energy of reactions, allowing some reactions to proceed faster. However, the catalyst isn't used up by the reaction itself, ideally.

In reality, I guess that some platinum will be lost. And on the scale needed to produce the amount of fuel, it may well require too much platinum.

If the platinum is used up in the reaction, there might be to recover the platinum through the use of another more readily accessible catalyst.

 

[Calin]

In theory, the catalyst is not used in a reaction. However, usually the catalyst will first combine with the products to make some intermediar reaction/intermediar product, and later that product will decompose generating the final product and the catalyst. However, some reactions require the catalyst to be a dust, and it might be moved out (lost) by the gas/liquid flow