14 Jun Innovative solution for polluted air and a source of energy – at the same time
Clean air and alternative energy production – two major needs of modern society. Researchers from Belgium have succeeded in developing a process that purifies air and, at the same time, generates power. The device must be exposed to light in order to function.
This small mechanism has two rooms separated by a membrane. Air is purified on one side, while on the other side hydrogen gas is produced as a part of the degradation products. This hydrogen gas can be stored and used later as fuel, as is already being done in some hydrogen buses.
The heart of the solution lies at the membrane level, where researchers used specific nanomaterials.
In the past, these cells were mostly used to extract hydrogen from water. These scientists have discovered that this is also possible, even more efficiently, with polluted air.
The goal of researchers is to be able to use sunlight more efficiently, as the processes underlying the technology are similar to those found in solar panels. The difference here is that electricity is not generated directly, but rather that air is purified while the generated power is stored as hydrogen gas.
Innovators of Leuven University are currently working on a scale of only a few square centimetres. At a later stage, they wish to scale up their technology to make the process industrially applicable.
Source: http://bit.ly/2q16m4O