In the MIT laboratory, seawater has just become a precious energy resource. With a little ingenuity, some recycled cans and a splash of caffeine, scientists have just opened the door to an energy “cocktail” that can become fuel. Great Jupiter.
Modern alchemy: transforming water into energetic gold
Who would have thought that the next energy revolution would be born from a cocktail of salt water, recycled aluminum and a pinch of caffeine? Yet, that's exactly what's happening in MIT labs. Scientists have just published a study on Cell Reports Physical Science (I link it here) which makes alchemy seem like child's play.
The secret? It's all in the chemistry. And it's simple, too. At least on paper. Take some pure aluminum from your soda cans, soak it in filtered seawater, add a touch of caffeine, and voila: you've just created clean hydrogen. Huh? Where's the trick? If you wait, I'll tell you.
The secret ingredient
Before you throw your cans into the sea hoping to fuel your boat, there is a crucial step to consider. MIT engineers they treated the aluminum with a gallium-indium alloy, two rare metals that work miracles.
This alloy acts as a sort of “activator”, eliminating the oxide layer that normally prevents aluminum from reacting with sea water. It seems easy to make good tea. Or rather, a coffee.
Coffee, please. No, not for me, for hydrogen
What about caffeine? Having established that it is not to keep scientists awake during long nights in the laboratory, what is its role? Adding a small amount of imidazole, a component of caffeine, speeds up the reaction dramatically.
How spectacular? Much. It's been two hours five minutes to produce hydrogen. It is indeed the case that caffeine "gives wings" to the entire chemical reaction.
Does it really work with sea water? When nature collaborates
Don't think that scientists limited themselves to seawater “tamed” in the laboratory. They tested their process with “ordinary” water, taken from a local beach. The result? It works perfectly. Nature, it seems, is more than happy to collaborate in this energy revolution.
A pocket reactor for ships and submarines
Scientists are already thinking big, or rather, small. They are developing a compact reactor that could be used on ships or underwater vehicles. Imagine being able to power an entire ship with recycled cans and the sea water it is sailing in. Would be great.
And why stop at ships, then? This technology could be applied to trucks, trains and even airplanes. And there's more: Researchers are exploring the idea of extracting water from moisture in the air to produce hydrogen. Imagine helping to power a car with the humidity of a summer day.
Hydrogen it is notoriously difficult to store, being highly flammable. The beauty of this system is that it produces hydrogen on-demand, eliminating the need for dangerous storage.
The future tastes like sea water
Transforming waste into clean energy, using (not exploiting, I emphasize) abundant resources such as sea water, and doing it in a sustainable way: it is every environmentalist's dream come true. With a little ingenuity, some used soda cans, and a touch of caffeine, MIT is paving the way for a future where clean energy could literally be at our fingertips.
