Using Rust To Generate Hydrogen For Storage
In the USA today, 95 percent of hydrogen gas is generated from natural gas, as using water to generate it could be nearly double the cost.
Two chemists at the University of Calgary have developed a catalyst required in the electrolyzer that requires not expensive metals, but rust. This could possibly lower the cost of electrolyzers up to 1000 times.
The process of customizing the catalyst for the electrolyzer is also much more flexible than with expensive metals. This means that electrolyzers could cost far less than current expensive models, and yet outperform them.
The researchers are trying to commercialize their technology through a company called Firewater Fuel Corp, which plans to make the electrolyzer available in the market by 2014 and a home version the following year.
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