Azernews.Az

By Alimat Aliyeva

American scientists from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have developed a method for producing hydrogen fuel from empty aluminum cans, seawater and caffeine, Azernews reports.

The team built a small hydrogen reactor. Aluminum pellets from recycled beverage containers are loaded into it. Recyclables are pre-treated with an alloy of gallium and indium, which prevents the formation of a protective oxide film when the metal comes into contact with salt water.

Since the reaction was slow due to the ions present in the liquid, the researchers added a little caffeine to the solution, since its active element imidazole significantly accelerates the process. With its help, aluminum gives off as much hydrogen in five minutes as it would produce in two hours without a catalyst. Experiments have shown that one prepared aluminum pellet emits 400 milliliters of hydrogen, and 1 gram of granules emits 1.3 liters of combustible gas.

According to the engineers, their installation can solve the problem of storing and transporting hydrogen fuel, since this gas is difficult and unsafe to transport due to its powerful oxidizing properties and high volatility. Instead, experts suggest using stable aluminum, producing hydrogen on site as needed.

According to them, a supply of 20 kilograms of pellets could supply energy to a small underwater vehicle for 30 days by pumping the surrounding seawater into the installation.

In the future, the researchers intend to find a way to extract water from the air so that their reactor can be used for ground equipment without having to carry a supply of liquid.

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