Fuel cell chemical plant? For chemical product and electric power

[alpha2cen]

There are many chemical companies in the world. The chemical company use many chemical reactions for making products. And the chemical reaction is established by electron movement. How about using these chemical reactions for making electric power? I think fertilizer plant or petrochemical plant, e.t.c., are good source for extracting electric energy.

Edited August 1, 2011 by alpha2cen

[CaptainPanic]

I am not sure whether petrochemical components are suited for redox reactions. A couple of petrochemical components (methanol, hydrogen) can be used in a fuel cell.

 

Anyway, the technology exists. It's just a matter of economics.

 

You should remember that you cannot use petrochemical components to make electricity and still sell them as gasoline or other valuable products. If you put them into a fuel cell, you will in fact burn them, making CO2 and water, like always.

[alpha2cen]

I mean the chemical cell - one of the fuel cell. Fuel cell final product is carbon dioxide and water. But chemical cell final products are the chemical components what we want to obtain. Till today we only use chemical reactor to obtain final chemical products. But in the future more advanced process we can obtain two kind, i.e., electric energy and chemical products. To do this more advanced membrane catalytic reactor is needed.

[CaptainPanic]

I mean the chemical cell - one of the fuel cell. Fuel cell final product is carbon dioxide and water. But chemical cell final products are the chemical components what we want to obtain. Till today we only use chemical reactor to obtain final chemical products. But in the future more advanced process we can obtain two kind, i.e., electric energy and chemical products. To do this more advanced membrane catalytic reactor is needed.

Not really true.

If the electrons travel from one atom to another within the molecule, it's nearly impossible to "harvest" those in a chemical cell.

 

And in normal electrochemistry, the processes are already optimized.

[alpha2cen]

At first oxidation or reduction reaction could be used as fuel cell chemical plant. Hydrogen or oxygen can easily tranfer through the membrane. In the past no one believed current fuel cell technology is possible. But time pass by every difficult problem is solved by researcher.

[mississippichem]

At first oxidation or reduction reaction could be used as fuel cell chemical plant. Hydrogen or oxygen can easily tranfer through the membrane. In the past no one believed current fuel cell technology is possible. But time pass by every difficult problem is solved by researcher.

 

The current problem is it costs more energy to extract hydrogen from alkanes or water than one can get by reacting the hydrogen by combustion or fuel cell. I think this problem will be addressed eventually. I'm willing to bet some money on it.

 

I've got my money on solar induced homogeneous photo-catalysis to extract hydrogen from water. Several recent papers have shown the correct cyclic voltammetry to accomplish such (a nice "fat" reversible couple in the correct potential range). I'm sure some chemical engineers would be willing to call my bet though for a heterogeneous catalyst instead...right CaptainPanic?

Edited August 1, 2011 by mississippichem

[alpha2cen]

The reaction for chemical cell is like this.

 

(A) a chemical reaction loose proton + release electron || membrane transfer proton || (B) a chemical reaction obtain proton + absorb electron

 

There are many possible reactions at the (A) and (B) reactions.

 

(C )a reaction loose oxygen cation + release electron || membrane transfer oxygen cation || (D)a reaction obtain oxygen cation + absorb electron

 

There are many possible reactions at the ( C ) and (D) reactions, too.

 

The important thing is to find catalyst for such electron related reaction.

And to find suitable membrane for this system is important , too.

Edited August 2, 2011 by alpha2cen