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newmac

I haven't read it yet but there is an article in the New Scientist just come out that talks about fine powdered metals (aluminium, iron, steel) in car engines as the fuel of the future.

Questions I have before I read it are:
- energy to grind the metal
- energy to extract (although they say you can just use scrap yards I think)
- where does the hydrogen to process the used fuel come from

http://www.newscientist.com
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DamianB · Site Admin Joined: 24 Nov 2005 Posts: 554 Location: Dorset

GD · Joined: 24 Nov 2005 Posts: 1101 Location: Devon

You also need to think about electrolysis, which is very energy intense.

MacG · Joined: 24 Nov 2005 Posts: 2866 Location: Scandinavia

Sound like a terribly bad idea!

OK, energy has been put into metals when reducing them from their natural oxidised forms (except the noble metals). In the case of iron, it is usually "energized" by coal or sometimes electricity. That energy could be extracted by oxidizing the metals, but overall efficiency would be terrible and we would disperse a lot of those metals to entropy in the process also.

Guess it's the thing to resort to when the very last tree has been cut down.