Despite the hype, the hydrogen economy has always seemed a long way off because of the technical challenges of safely dealing with an explosive, compressed fuel. A researcher at Yale thinks he’s figured out a way to get around that problem by putting hydrogen into an organic (i.e. carbon-based) liquid packed with nitrogen. A catalyst would separate out the hydrogen as it was needed for fuel, and the remaining liquid could be re-processed with more hydrogen. As a liquid fuel, the stuff could be distributed through the same facilities that currently sell gasoline.
Source: Katharine Sanderson, Hydrogen fuel goes liquid. News @ Nature.com, August 24. Photo by Jeffrey M. Vinocur.
Eve is a freelance writer and editor based in Vancouver, BC. She has worked for High Country News, Conservation magazine, Environmental Practice, Island Press, and several political clients. She has a Master's degree in Environmen...
