ENERGY

Toyota Central R&D Labs. Inc. in Japan have reviewed research that might be leading the way towards a new generation of automotive catalytic converters. Catalytic converters that change the toxic fumes of automobile exhaust to less toxic pollutants only reached the market in the mid-1970s. They are formed of a catalyst – usually in the form of a precious metal such as platinum, palladium, or rhodium – a catalyst support material, and a wash-coat designed to disperse the catalytic materials over a wide surface area. Toyota Central R&D Labs. Inc. in Japan are involved in research to develop catalysts that are controlled at the quantum-level. With this level of control, “we can expect an extreme reduction of precious metal usage in automotive exhaust catalysts and/or fuel cells,” says Dr. Yoshihide Watanabe, chief researcher at the Toyota Central R&D Labs in Japan. He reviewed research on different types of catalytic reactions involving metal clusters whose sizes were atomically controlled. Metal cluster chemistry has been developing rapidly since the mid-20th century. A cluster is a group of atoms or molecules formed by interactions varying in strength from very weak to strong. Some naturally occurring clusters are known to be involved in catalytic reactions. The study of metal clusters is inspiring great interest, partially for the potential use of synthetic clusters in industrial applications, such as catalysts in catalytic converters. He pointed out that not much research has been done in the area of atomically controlled cluster catalysis, with the exception of studies on carbon monoxide oxidation reaction. His research indicates that catalytic activity is strongly affected by the electronic structure of clusters, their geometry on a support material, and the interaction between the cluster and the material. Thus, the catalytic activity of clusters can be enhanced by controlling cluster size and the […]

Researchers are helping to advance the development of hydrogen-powered cars by producing innovative materials that could make on-board hydrogen generators a reality. Hydrogen is a renewable resource with the potential to power everything from households to cars, but its use is currently limited by a lack of green and practical production methods. Current approaches to generating hydrogen as a power source are anything but environmentally friendly. Obtaining hydrogen through steam reforming and electrolysis of water — the splitting of water into hydrogen and oxygen by applying an electric current — requires high energy input and fossil fuels. In contrast, the process of ethanol steam reforming (ESR) uses ethanol derived from renewable biomass to produce hydrogen and other products. One drawback of ESR, however, is that it requires high reaction temperatures to proceed and therefore a catalyst is needed to spur on the reaction. Another downside of ESR is that it often produces carbon monoxide as a by-product, which is toxic and can also lead to poisoning of hydrogen fuel cells. Luwei Chen, Armando Borgna and colleagues at the A*STAR Institute of Chemical and Engineering Sciences have developed an iron-promoted rhodium-based catalyst on a calcium-modified aluminium oxide support for ESR. This catalyst enables hydrogen to be generated more efficiently with less environmental damage as the reaction can occur at temperatures as low as 350 degrees Celsius and produce almost no carbon monoxide as a by-product. The presence of iron oxide enables carbon monoxide to be converted into carbon dioxide and hydrogen via a reaction known as the water–gas shift reaction. Thus, the iron promotion effect on the rhodium-based catalyst is the key to removing carbon monoxide — something that is exceedingly difficult to achieve on rhodium alone. Additional benefits of ESR are the commercial advantages stemming from the catalyst being quite […]

Local Government New Zealand (LGNZ) welcomes a report released today by the New Zealand Initiative stating why the resource rich parts of rural New Zealand need to tap into the wealth beneath their feet. The report, titled Poverty of wealth – why minerals need to be part of the rural economy, observes that regional parts of New Zealand experiencing economic and population decline may have significant opportunities in mineral wealth. LGNZ President Lawrence Yule says the report outlines the shift between the growth of urban New Zealand and the challenges of rural New Zealand – and looks at ways to lift the economies of rural areas through mineral extraction. “This report supports the need to address regional growth across all of New Zealand and with the work LGNZ is doing to advocate for the case that local communities share in mining royalties in the region where extraction occurs,” says Mr Yule. In September, LGNZ ran a seminar – Royalty payments: the case for a local share – seeking a policy change for the distribution of a share of royalties from mineral, oil and gas extraction to the communities where the activity takes place. “Every year the Government receives hundreds of millions of dollars in royalty payments for oil, gas, coal and mineral extraction in New Zealand. These payments are, in part, made possible by the regions which provide much of the infrastructure and housing needed to support these industries.” This point is reiterated in the New Zealand Initiative’s report which states since all royalties and taxes from mineral projects accrue to central government, there is little means for local government to defray local borne costs – hardly an incentive to embrace mining development. The report also states that a strong barrier to rural mining lies in the unintended consequences of […]

 If electric vehicles were widely available, New Zealanders would buy enough of them to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from the transport sector by one-fifth over the next 18 years, new research from Victoria University of Wellington shows.  PhD researcher Doug Clover says there are currently only a couple of hundred electric vehicles on the road in New Zealand, but his study into the preferences of potential car buyers shows people are keen to purchase them. “I surveyed people intending to buy a car in the next five years and found that if electric vehicles were easy to buy now, 20 percent of those surveyed would choose them.” Doug then used a type of behavioural modelling known as discrete choice to estimate demand for electric vehicles up until 2030. His projections used the information gathered in his survey and scenarios of different levels of government support and different rates of improvement in electric vehicle (EV) technology.  “In all the scenarios,” says Doug, “plug-in hybrid cars (which can be switched to fuel when battery life runs out) are the most popular option, followed by city EVs, or small electric vehicles, with a range of around 100 kilometres.” Family car replacements – larger EVs which can seat five to seven people, tow a trailer and have a range of around 300 kilometres – were consistently the least popular option due to the high cost of batteries says Doug, never making up more than 12 percent of the EV fleet by 2030. But while Doug’s research found that EVs have potential to make a significant dent in the greenhouse gas emissions produced by cars and light vehicles in New Zealand, the gains would be wiped out by continued use of coal-fired electricity generation.  “Under current conditions, with a low price on carbon, it still […]