The vegetable oil that is often discarded as waste by restaurants and pubs could be a vital source of hydrogen, and therefore, fuel - says a new study.
A new study has figured that the vegetable oil often discarded as waste by restaurants and pubs could prove a vital source of hydrogen, and hence, of fuel. Although it's a greener fuel, making hydrogen may consume vast amounts of energy, use scarce natural resources, or spew out high levels of greenhouse gas.
Researchers at the University of Leeds have found a new method that uses waste vegetable oils to produce hydrogen through a process that is carbon neutral.
Dr Valerie Dupont and colleagues have perfected a two-stage process that is essentially self-heating.
Nickel catalyst is blasted with air to form nickel oxide - raising temperature of 650 degrees by another 200 degrees.
The fuel and steam mixture then reacts with the hot nickel oxide to make hydrogen and carbon dioxide.
A special 'sorbent' material traps all the carbon dioxide produced, leaving pure hydrogen gas.
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"So as well as the generation of heat, this is another way that makes the process very efficient," said Dupont.
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"If we could create more of our electricity locally using hydrogen-powered fuel cells, then we could cut the amount of energy lost during transmission down power lines."
The study will be published in the journal Bioresource Technology.
Source-ANI