New technique that turns air-polluting landfill gas into a fuel cell to produce a clean, efficient form of energy

Brazil's researchers have developed a new technique that turns air-polluting landfill gas into a fuel cell to produce a clean, efficient form of energy.

Hydrogen, the promising frontier of clean fossil fuel alternatives, holds immense potential. Unlike fossil fuels, which emit carbon dioxide upon combustion, hydrogen combustion results in the release of only water, making it a highly attractive option. 

So, energy companies are now working on developing hydrogen fuel cells to power cars and buildings. The hydrogen source they're looking at is the by-product of reacting methane gas with carbon dioxide. Which suddenly makes gas-emitting rubbish dumps a handsome prospect. "Smelly landfills are excellent sources of these gases," says Phys.org. "Microbes living in the waste produce large amounts of methane and carbon dioxide as by-products."

However, a significant hurdle in this pursuit is the search for an efficient catalyst to accelerate the methane and carbon dioxide reaction, as highlighted by researcher Fabio B. Noronha from the National Institute of Technology in Brazil, according to Phys.org.

"The heart of the process for the production of hydrogen from landfill gas is the catalyst, and this can be disrupted by the presence of carbon," Noronha explains. "Because of carbon deposition, the catalyst loses the capacity to convert the landfill gases into hydrogen.”

To solve the problem, his team has developed a new catalyst material that can remove the carbon as soon as it’s formed. They discovered this catalyst by studying the catalysts used by car manufacturers to control vehicle emissions.

The researchers say they’re still working on the reaction in the lab, but their new, highly stable catalyst would be ideal for the commercial market. "As a step in that direction,” says Phys.org, "the team plans to test it on a larger scale using material from a local landfill."

Source: Phys.org