[NewCandle] Nick's Aluminum Hydrolyzer & Biomass to Hydrogen

[Frederick Sparber]

Dumesic at the University of Wisconsin has patents on a ceramic-supported
Nickel-Tin-Aluminum catalyst that generates hydrogen from biomass in hot water.

I did this in the early 1970's using various water-soluble catalysts,
but I couldn't get the reaction rate up where needed for the reaction
from the plant cellulose-glucose structure. The lignin portion CxHyOz
requires high temperatures-pressures for steam reforming to H2, but
can be used as a fuel for the process.

C6-H12-O6 + 6 H2O ------>  6 CO2 + 12 H2

That water soluble Aluminate Ion (Al(OH)4 - ) that Nick generates
using salt water
along with the "salts" that come out of the biomass (normally as ash
in combustion) might do the trick.

Fred