MIT researchers make hydrogen fuel from soda cans, seawater, caffeine

[Judi Lynn]

The aluminum is pretreated with a rare metal alloy that can react with seawater to generate hydrogen.

Updated: Jul 25, 2024 01:09 PM EST

Kapil Kajal

14 hours ago

In a groundbreaking discovery, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) suggests that old soda cans and seawater could be the key to revolutionizing fuel production and creating a sustainable source of clean energy.

MIT engineers have discovered that when pure aluminum from soda cans is exposed to seawater, it creates bubbles and naturally generates hydrogen.

This type of gas can be used to power an engine or fuel cell without producing carbon emissions.

Furthermore, this basic reaction can be accelerated by including a common stimulant: caffeine.

The model
In a study published in the journal Cell Reports Physical Science, the researchers show they can produce hydrogen gas by dropping pretreated, pebble-sized aluminum pellets into a beaker of filtered seawater.

More:
https://interestingengineering.com/energy/mit-hydrogen-fuel-soda-seawater

[Bernardo de La Paz]

1. Wonder how much energy required to pretreat and pelletize the aluminum. . . . nt

[NNadir]

2. These press releases of this type are extremely misleading.

I assure everyone that at MIT they are aware of the laws of thermodynamics.

Aluminum metal is made by the Hall process, which runs on massive amounts of electricity in molten cryolite. It's a perpetual motion machine if we are describing aluminum and seawater as a source of hydrogen.

[Javaman]

3. Mmmmm, caffeinated hydrogen fuel....nt

[Native]

4. It sounds like gallium-indium is the rare metal alloy the pellets have to be pretreated with