A project is underway that aims to create a fuel cell-powered car that generates hydrogen fuel from a tank of water. Scientists from the University of Minnesota and Israel’s Weizmann Institute of Science are pioneering the technique. According to New Scientist magazine, the researchers have discovered that by reacting the element boron with water to produce hydrogen, the gas can be used to power an internal combustion engine or to generate electricity via a fuel cell.
Its developers believe that the abundance of hydrogen in water could make it a viable alternative to fossil fuels and the green power source of choice, since traditional hydrogen production is inefficient and expensive.
A boron and water-powered engine would not produce any harmful emissions. The only by-product of the process is boron oxide, which can simply be turned back into boron.
And to produce the same amount of energy as a 40-litre tank of petrol, the new vehicle would only require 45 litres of water and 18 kilograms of boron.
An Israeli firm is already pioneering a prototype engine and a Japanese company has already manufactured a scooter testing a similar concept.
New Scientist reported that a functioning prototype is expected by 2009.
[Soruce: Johnson Matthey]



08/07, 12:27 PM
posted by:
kyle
heh, if only a catalyst existed that could split water into component h2 and o2 gasses without going under chemical change itself! Then again, if a container of that stuff where to spill… that’d be bad.
08/07, 12:31 PM
posted by:
Nick
I’m sure big oil has already bought out the patents to this technology and has them stored away safely in their vaults until they drill the earth dry of oil. Then, the next day, they can release these technologies and continue to rake in billions and trillions.
08/07, 12:46 PM
posted by:
Craig
One would hope there is enough momentum to keep truthful announcements on hydrogen fuel out in the open, even if the big oil companies still manage to keep it from reaching the market.
08/07, 12:54 PM
posted by:
Wickedated
18kg of Boron in my car? Thats like having 18 kilo bags of sugar stored in the car. Isnt boron toxic anyhow?
08/07, 1:50 PM
posted by:
jay
Hey did “who killed the electric car” come out yet?
Yeah right they’ve been promising stuff like this for some time now. They’ll probably delay it and delay it and shut down the program because of costs or something.
I would still like to see hydrogen cars out though. As long as it would make enough power and was not a ticking time bomb I would consider one.
08/07, 2:28 PM
posted by:
Richard
Wickedated, Boron is not toxic. The boron compound borax is widely used in laundry detergent. Although banned in the USA, many countries use boron in food preparation.
As a general proposition, this is a fantastic development. Using boron to generate hydrogen from water seems to be a much better option than using alcohol as a motor fuel. However, we must keep in mind that boron will have to be reduced from compounds, including boron oxide produced during hydrogen generation. External energy sources will be required reduce boron. We need to ensure that the external energy is not produced from carbon sources.
08/07, 2:38 PM
posted by:
axel cortez
i just want my car makes nice HP/torque i dont care if load it with trash
08/07, 2:59 PM
posted by:
Kyle
In 1997 crystalline boron (99% pure) cost about US$5 per gram and amorphous boron cost about US$2 per gram.
hmm, 18KG sounds expensive now. Granted you don’t need 99% pure to get the H2O +B -> h2 + BO reaction to work, but the process of getting boron oxide into it’s base elements is not that easy.
08/07, 3:06 PM
posted by:
Kyle
sorry, meant to say that price quote was from wikipedia
08/07, 3:33 PM
posted by:
The Stig
I don’t care if the fuel of the future comes from a hole in the driver’s seat and a fill-up at the local taco stand.
08/07, 3:34 PM
posted by:
Wickedated
At $2 a gram, having 18 kg of Boron in the car would cost $36,000.00 ….
08/07, 3:35 PM
posted by:
VDub
oil lobbyist will get republican congresspersons to kill it.
08/07, 3:43 PM
posted by:
Marshall
Who cares? By the time anything really bad happens, most of us will be dead.. To be fair Methanol powered cars would be good, then we could all drive street-legal top fueler drag cars
:D:D
08/07, 9:56 PM
posted by:
Dav
by that price estimate, the more pure crystaline boron would cost $90,000 just for the fuel. better last a while. and then there is the rest of the power supply, and the car itself. not yet practical. neither is ethenol, nor electricity, even though it is the best so far. keep working at it boys.
08/07, 11:10 PM
posted by:
Onur
Awesome. I was wondering when they could come up with something to kill people for other than oil. And this time it’s a lot more important. When it’s finished everything will die, not only machines.
08/08, 1:06 AM
posted by:
x23
” Granted you don’t need 99% pure to get the H2O +B -> h2 + BO reaction to work, but the process of getting boron oxide into it’s base elements is not that easy.”
BO?!?!
This is beyond B.O. This is B.B.O. Usually the O stays with the B. Once the B is gone the O leaves with it.
08/08, 5:04 PM
posted by:
jimothy
So will gas stations sell three grades: Tap, Dasani, and Evian?