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Scientists at the U.S. Army Research Laboratory observed an
unexpected result when combining urine with a newly engineered nano-powder
based on aluminum. It instantly releases hydrogen from the urine at
much higher rate than with ordinary water.
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September 7, 2017 - Army researcher Anthony J. Roberts adds one gram of aluminum
nano powder to urine to release hydrogen from a chemical reaction.
Researchers engineering the nano powder at the U.S. Army Research
Laboratory at Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland. (U.S. Army photo by
David McNally, Army Research Laboratory)
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The research team announced earlier this summer that a
nano-galvanic aluminum-based powder they were developing
produced pure hydrogen when coming into contact with water.
The researchers observed a similar reaction when adding
their powder to any liquid containing water.
"What we
do as Army scientists is develop materials and technology
that will directly benefit the Soldier and enhance their
capabilities," said Dr. Kristopher Darling, an ARL
researcher. "We developed a new processing technique to
synthesize a material, which spontaneously splits water into
hydrogen."
Hydrogen, the most plentiful element in
the universe, has the potential to power fuel cells and
provide energy to future Soldiers.
Fuel cells
generate electricity quietly, efficiently and without
pollution. According to a Department of Energy's website,
fuel cells are "more energy-efficient than combustion
engines and the hydrogen used to power them can come from a
variety of sources."
"We have calculated that one
kilogram of aluminum powder can produce 220 kilowatts of
power in just three minutes," said Dr. Anit Giri, also an
ARL researcher.
In space, astronauts recycle waste
water and urine because drinking water is a precious
commodity. For Soldiers in austere environments, there are
many precious commodities. Power and energy is becoming
increasingly important to run communications and electronics
gear for away teams, which can't be resupplied.
Making use of urine as fuel source may result in tremendous
benefits for Soldiers, officials said.
"When we
demonstrated it with urine, we saw almost a twofold increase
in the reaction rates," Darling said. "We were very excited.
As a group we have been pushing for the last few months on
developing the efficiency and the reaction kinetics to try
to get them faster."
The team is still investigating
why urine causes a faster reaction, but it may have
something to do with the electrolytes and the acidity of the
liquid.
"It's unique because the rate of the reaction
is so efficient and extremely rapid from such a small volume
of material," Darling said.
The team is working with
other researchers at the laboratory, including the Sensors
and Electron Devices Directorate, to discover how to harness
the material as a potential energy source.
"It was a
spontaneous finding," Darling said. "We weren't expecting to
develop this material specifically for hydrogen production.
It was a group effort. We came together as a team to
understand the importance of the discovery. This has great
potential for benefiting Soldiers."
In a statement,
Dr. Philip Perconti, the laboratory director, said it "may
find great utility for forward deployed troops who need a
compact and lightweight energy source."
In the coming
months, the team will continue to investigate and push the
limits of the discovery, to try and understand its
implications.
"Our basic focus is materials
development and optimization," Darling said. "We're looking
at how we can optimize the composition, its interactions
with other fluids, including saliva and other liquids
available to Soldiers in a field environment."
By U.S. Army David McNally, ARL
Provided
through DVIDS
Copyright 2017
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