SWE - Fall 2008 - (Page 40)

Fuel at the nano-scale Though fuel cells were a possible solution for years, the problems of using expensive platinum as a catalyst, the energy used to split water into hydrogen and oxygen, the detrimental by-product of carbon dioxide, and transporting and storing hydrogen remain major obstacles. Yet the vision of unlimited hydrogen to fuel engines and generate electrical power could become a reality. The United States has already funded more than $1 billion for hydrogen fuel cell research and development. Auto manufacturers from Ford and GM to BMW and Honda are researching the technology, as are major oil companies Shell, BP, and Texaco. Teaming with the University of Maryland, Manos Mavrikakis, Ph.D., professor in the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering at the University of WisconsinMadison, is researching fuel cells at the molecular level to solve the problems that have kept them from practical consumer use. To produce energy, a chemical reactor converts hydrogen and oxygen into electricity, leaving water and heat as by-products. Platinum, which is expensive, is the catalyst used to make this process happen and is the focus of Dr. Mavrikakis’ research. “Most fuel cells for transportation use hydrogen as the fuel. There is a drawback with hydrogen. How do we make it clean of carbon dioxide contaminant?” he questioned, adding that the cost of platinum is another disadvantage. With his team of researchers, he found that by surrounding a nanoparticle of ruthenium with a few layers of platinum atoms, he could cut costs by using less platinum, lower the temperature at which the catalysis would work, cut the carbon dioxide contamination, and produce more hydrogen. UNIVERSITY OF TENNESSEE wastewater. Switchgrass requires little farming, fertilizers, or pesticides. Cellulosic biomass appears feasible — until the fossil fuel energy needed to produce and transport it is factored in. “It’s still a basic research problem,” contended Dr. Nocera, adding that solar energy is nearer to penetrating the fuel market at this point. In converting cellulosic materials into energy, Kelly Tiller, Ph.D., economist and director of external operations, Office of Bioenergy Programs at the University of Tennessee, cited challenges that engineers must address simultaneously. Moving processes must be safe, optimized, and scalable from the lab to a commercially viable scale. Systems must be designed to harvest, store, and transport biomass materials. A collaboration between the University of Tennessee and the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory seeks to solve those engineering problems with indigenous feedstock and ethanol production tailored to local conditions. With federal funding, the partnership will demonstrate the effectiveness of a cellulosic biomass refinery that could make Tennessee “the Saudi Arabia of cellulose,” quipped knoxvillebiz.com in April. “Woody biomass is right for some regions, and other crops are potentially right for others,” commented Dr. Tiller. “Our focus is switchgrass, a native, high-yielding biomass grass that doesn’t compete with crop lands and is a step in the right direction toward much larger quantities of fuel that are cost-effective.” By eliminating transportation costs and growing a biomass native to the southeast’s climate and geography, researchers predict that in five years the refinery will produce ethanol for less than $1.50 a gallon. “We have the conditions that will yield high levels of biomass with the types of farming operations and underutilized land,” Dr. Tiller said. In a project funded by the U.S. Department of Energy, the NREL is evaluating hydrogen- and fuel-cell powered buses from the SunLine Transit Agency fleet in Thousand Palms, Calif. 40 SWE FALL 2008 DOE/NREL, LESLIE EUDY http://knoxvillebiz.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of SWE - Fall 2008

SWE - Fall 2008 Heritage Club Contents Farewell Message from FY08 President Michelle Tortolani Congratulations SWE Magazine A Conversation with FY09 President Virginia Connolly, P.E. Introducing the FY09 Board of Directors View from the Executive Suite Editor's Page Public Policy Update SWE Retention Study, Part 6 Membership Information & Calendar A&B SWE Member Kristina Johnson First Woman to Receive John Fritz Medal University Labs Fuel a New Era in Energy Women Engineering Leaders in Academe 2008 Opening the Gateways to Engineering Your Collegiate Section History is Waiting to Be Discovered Honoring the Legacy of Ada Pressman, P.E. Report from WEPAN Engineering World Proposed Bylaws Amendments Point of View Correction Career Toolbox Corporate Partnership Council Book Review SWE Smiles In Memory Opportunity Index SWE Scrapbook

SWE - Fall 2008

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