Hydrogen fuel cell technology is full of promise, but it's being held back by the problem of storing the dangerous gas safely and efficiently. Some U.S. scientists have been tackling this, and their solution is as ingenious as it is odd: Carbonized chicken feathers.
The University of Delaware team realized that the protein keratin, the main ingredient in chicken feather fibers, had fabulous properties when it's heated. Basically the keratin creates very strong cross-links when it's carbonized, and the feather fibers become extremely porous, which dramatically increases their surface area. As a result, the carbonized feathers can absorb huge amounts of hydrogen into their structure.
It's a natural equivalent of some very high-tech attempts to create a safe H2 tank using carbon nanotubes and graphene, or complex metal hydrides. And here's the kicker: The chicken feather tank would potentially store even more hydrogen than either of those two options, and cost enormously less to create. The science team estimates the feather solution would cost no more than $200, versus tens of thousands for a hydride tank, and millions for a nanotube version. Though it's worth noting that these figures probably represent the cost to build these high-tech tanks now, while the technology is still young, experimental and, as such, expensive, those cost savings make the chicken feather solution incredibly tempting.
The current carbonized feather technology could easily create a 75-gallon hydrogen tank, which would power a car over some 300 miles, according to the team. They're working on extending that range. And there's just one question to ask: Would you feel a moral twinge when driving an eco-friendly vehicle that had tens of thousands of chicken feathers concealed in its gas tank?
[via Physorg]
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Related Stories: | Topics:Innovation, Technology, Hydrogen, fuel cell, storage, keratin, chicken feathers, feathers, carbonized, University of Delaware, alt fuels, safety, University of Delaware, Science and Technology, Technology, Energy Technology, Fuel Cells |
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Recent Comments | 2 Total
June 25, 2009 at 1:40pm by Jim Horwitz
This is a very cool discovery. A few facts make it even cooler: Hydrogen is extremely volatile, which is why it is tough to store without leaks and tough to store a lot, but it is nowhere near as dangerous as gasoline, and far less dangerous than natural gas as it disperses and rises rapidly rather than pooling. It will burn high in the air rather than explode at ground level. Also, I don't know where '75 gallons' and '300 miles' come from. The unit of measure used for cars is one kilogram mass which is the energy equivalent of one gallon of gas. In a hydrogen fuel cell powered vehicle like the Honda Clarity, its 4+ kg carbon fiber tank provides about a 280 mile range, fuel cells are over twice as efficent as internal combustion engines and the Clarity is EPA-rated at 72 MPkg. The liquid capacity of the tank is 45.7 gallons, and that could be reduced by using the chicken feathers which could provide denser storage than compression, and the gas would not have to be contained at 5000 psi which would allow for cheaper tanks.
June 25, 2009 at 1:40pm by Jim Horwitz
This is a very cool discovery. A few facts make it even cooler: Hydrogen is extremely volatile, which is why it is tough to store without leaks and tough to store a lot, but it is nowhere near as dangerous as gasoline, and far less dangerous than natural gas as it disperses and rises rapidly rather than pooling. It will burn high in the air rather than explode at ground level. Also, I don't know where '75 gallons' and '300 miles' come from. The unit of measure used for cars is one kilogram mass which is the energy equivalent of one gallon of gas. In a hydrogen fuel cell powered vehicle like the Honda Clarity, its 4+ kg carbon fiber tank provides about a 280 mile range, fuel cells are over twice as efficent as internal combustion engines and the Clarity is EPA-rated at 72 MPkg. The liquid capacity of the tank is 45.7 gallons, and that could be reduced by using the chicken feathers which could provide denser storage than compression, and the gas would not have to be contained at 5000 psi which would allow for cheaper tanks.