Anjana Nair writes in BioMarket Insights about a group of researchers who are using metal to create clean energy.
- Researchers in the Netherlands have found a way to power a brewery by burning iron.
- Fine iron is set on fire to produce energy, leaving rust as its only byproduct.
- While still in its infant stages of production, burning iron could provide a zero-carbon, high density alternative to gasoline.
“So, what happens with all the rust then? Because iron is not just the fuel that is consumed, the energy stored can be easily recharged. And to recharge it, all that oxygen from FeO can be stripped out, and turned back into Fe, ready to be burned again. It might not be easy to do this, but much of the energy and work consists of prying that oxygen away from all the iron, which gets returned to when burning the iron, the next time. The idea is to use the same iron repeatedly, discharging it, and recharging it every time – just like a battery.”
Read the full article here.
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