| Platinum-based catalyst used to produce hydrogen fuel |
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Publication Date:02-June-2006 08:00 AM US Eastern Timezone Source: Platinum today
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| A
group of scientists in the US have developed a way of using a
platinum-based catalyst to help produce hydrogen from glycerol.
The process could help in the development of new fuel sources. Glycerol can be produced from organic material such as wood, when treated with enzymes, according to the Chemie.de information service. The team from University of Wisconsin-Madison, led by James Dumesic, used a platinum-based catalyst to break down the glycerol into hydrogen and carbon monoxide. Temperatures used in the process were relatively low, ranging from 225șC to 300 șC and the team says that it has many advantages, such as the fact that glycerol is a by-product in the production of biodiesel, making it cheap and plentiful. The process offers the hope that renewable plant source could eventually be a viable alternative to fossil fuels. It is not the first time that Professor Dumesic has used platinum-based catalysts to produce fuel. In 2002 along with a research student, he developed a way of generating hydrogen fuel from plant-derived glucose. The process is thought to be greenhouse
gas neutral. |