Clean air and power? Just add sunlight.

[WMGroomAK]

Researchers at the University of Antwerp/KU Leuven have developed a new reactor that will supposedly purify air and generate power, all it needs to operate is sunlight.  The process that they are using is heterogeneous photocatalysis, where they are using a special nanomaterial membrane to act as a catalyst to trigger the chemical reaction that purifies the air and creates hydrogen gas.  From Engadget:

 

https://www.engadget.com/2017/05/12/scientists-belgium-cell-pollution-hydrogen-air/

Quote

Heterogeneous photocatalysis has been used before to siphon hydrogen from water and nullify gas-based pollutants. Rarely are the two used in combination, however. The research team has solved this with a "photoelectrochemical cell," which uses a solar cell to produce hydrogen in a similar manner to electrolysis water-splitting. It has two "rooms," according to Professor Sammy Vergbuggen, separated by a membrane to isolate the two processes. Air is purified on one side with a photoanode, while the hydrogen is generated from "a part of the degradation process" with a cathode tucked behind the solid electrolyte membrane.

 

It's the team's choice of catalyst that makes the machine so effective, Verbuggen says. "In the past, these cells were mostly used to extract hydrogen from water. We have now discovered that this is also possible, and even more efficient, with polluted air," he added. The hydrogen can be easily stored and used later as fuel. It sounds like a wonder machine, although the team is quick to stress that it's only a "proof-of-concept" with "ample room for improvement" in its research paper. The current device, for instance, is only a few square centimeters — hardly enough to counterbalance carbon emissions or power the lights in our cities.

 

Honestly, this seems too good to be true, but if it does work as they describe and it can be scaled up to an industrial scaling, this could provide at least part of a solution to emissions generated from power plants, where they could produce Hydrogen fuel while cleaning air from the power plant.  I'm in the process of trying to get the full written article from ChemSUSChem to read and may add on more to my opinion afterwards as I would love to see some more detailed specifics on what the nanomaterial is composed of and what specific air pollutants this process helps to neutralize.

 

KU Leuven News: https://nieuws.kuleuven.be/en/content/2017/new-technology-generates-power-from-polluted-air

 

ChemSusChem Article: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/cssc.201700485/full

[Billy_Mays]

10 minutes ago, WMGroomAK said:

Researchers at the University of Antwerp/KU Leuven have developed a new reactor that will supposedly purify air and generate power, all it needs to operate is sunlight.  The process that they are using is heterogeneous photocatalysis, where they are using a special nanomaterial membrane to act as a catalyst to trigger the chemical reaction that purifies the air and creates hydrogen gas.  From Engadget:

 

https://www.engadget.com/2017/05/12/scientists-belgium-cell-pollution-hydrogen-air/

 

Honestly, this seems too good to be true, but if it does work as they describe and it can be scaled up to an industrial scaling, this could provide at least part of a solution to emissions generated from power plants, where they could produce Hydrogen fuel while cleaning air from the power plant.  I'm in the process of trying to get the full written article from ChemSUSChem to read and may add on more to my opinion afterwards as I would love to see some more detailed specifics on what the nanomaterial is composed of and what specific air pollutants this process helps to neutralize.

 

KU Leuven News: https://nieuws.kuleuven.be/en/content/2017/new-technology-generates-power-from-polluted-air

 

ChemSusChem Article: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/cssc.201700485/full

So a fancy solar panel