United States Patent Application: 0130075250
We regret the tedium, but, we feel obligated to continue documenting the now-irrefutable fact, that, we can use environmental energy to efficiently extract elemental, molecular Hydrogen, H2, from Water.
Not that we think it wise to use Hydrogen as a vehicle fuel, and go sailing down the Turnpike at Interstate speeds in a pressurized mini-Hindenberg disguised as a Ford Explorer.
But, as we've documented many times, recently in:
West Virginia Coal Association | US Navy Announces $3/Gallon Jet Fuel from CO2 | Research & Development; concerning the US Naval Research Laboratory news release: ""Fueling the Fleet, Navy Looks to the Seas'; September 24, 2012; The U.S. Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) is developing the chemistry for producing jet fuel from renewable resources in theater. The process envisioned would catalytically convert CO2 and H2 directly to liquid hydrocarbon fuel used as JP-5. ... How it Works: CO2 + H2 = Jet Fuel";
and:
West Virginia Coal Association | USDOE Improves Direct Coal Hydrogenation and Conversion | Research & Development; concerning, in part: "United States Patent 5,015,366 - Process and Apparatus for Coal Hydrogenation; 1991; Assignee: The United States of America; Abstract: In a coal liquefaction process an aqueous slurry of coal is prepared ... and fed into a hydrogenation reactor (where) catalytic hydrogenation converts the extrudate primarily to liquid hydrocarbons in the reactor. Government Interests: The U.S. Government has rights in this invention pursuant to the employee/employer relationship of the inventor to the U.S. Department of Energy at the Pittsburgh Energy Technology Center. The method ... wherein the carbonaceous material is particulate coal. The present invention relates generally to a method for the hydrogenation or liquefaction of coal, and more particularly to a method of continuously converting coal particulates to liquid hydrocarbon products. Hydrogen is fed to (the) reactor ... after being compressed to reactor pressure ... and heated";
Hydrogen can be of rather immense utility in the efficient and economical conversion of our abundant Coal, and in the productive recycling of our some-say too abundant Carbon Dioxide, into hydrocarbon fuels.
In a number of other previous reports:
West Virginia Coal Association | Japan Hydrogen from Water and Sunlight | Research & Development; concerning: "United States Patent 7,909,979 - Water Photolysis System and Process; 2011; Assignee: Panasonic Corporation, (Japan); Abstract: The present invention provides a water photolysis system comprising: a casing into which incident sunlight can enter from the outside ... . A process for photolyzing water ... into hydrogen and oxygen by ... the incident light"; and:
West Virginia Coal Association | Japan Makes More Hydrogen from Water and Sunlight | Research & Development; concerning: "United States Patent Application 20110315545 - Hydrogen Generating Device; 2011; Assignee: Panasonic Corporation, (Japan); The present invention relates to a hydrogen generating device that includes a photoelectrode having an optical semiconductor, and that generates hydrogen through water decomposition by irradiation of the photoelectrode with light such as sunlight"; and:
West Virginia Coal Association | Panasonic High-Efficiency Hydrogen from H2O | Research & Development; concerning: "United States Patent Application 20120285823 - Hydrogen Generation Device; Date: November 15, 2012; Assignee: Panasonic Corporation, (Japan); The present invention relates to a hydrogen generation device designed to obtain hydrogen gas by using light to decompose water into hydrogen and oxygen. As a conventional method of utilizing a semiconductor material that acts as a photocatalyst, there is known a technique for obtaining hydrogen through water decomposition or for obtaining electrical energy by irradiating the semiconductor material with light";
we've documented that the well-known Panasonic Corporation, of Japan, has been at the methodical, straightforward work of establishing and refining the technology whereby elemental Hydrogen can be extracted from plain old Water, using nothing but plain old Sunlight to drive the chemical processes.
And, it's important to keep in mind what Panasonic might have in mind to do with their efficient Hydrogen generation techniques. As seen in our report of:
West Virginia Coal Association | Japan Converts CO2 into Lower-Cost Methane | Research & Development; concerning: "United States Patent Application 20120018311 - Carbon Dioxide Reduction Method; 2012;
Assignee: Panasonic Corporation; Abstract: The carbon dioxide reduction method of the present invention is a method ... to reduce the introduced carbon dioxide (into Carbon Monoxide) The present invention relates to a carbon dioxide reduction method, and a carbon dioxide reduction catalyst and a carbon dioxide reduction device used for the method. (The) method and the device of the present invention achieve reduction of carbon dioxide to carbon monoxide, formic acid, methane, etc. and provide these substances with less energy and at lower cost";
they might well intend to couple a process for Hydrogen generation with a similar process that converts Carbon Dioxide into Carbon Monoxide, and, subsequently, through Carbon Monoxide, combined with more Hydrogen, into Formic Acid and/or Methane.
We'll have more on how such Carbon Dioxide and Hydrogen chemical reduction processes operate in coming reports; but, herein, we again demonstrate that Japan's Panasonic Corporation continues to improve and make more efficient their basic technology for using Sunlight to extract Hydrogen from Water.
As seen in excerpts, with additional links and excerpts appended, from the initial link in this dispatch to:
"United States Patent Application 20130075250 - Hydrogen Production Device
Patent US20130075250 - Hydrogen production device - Google Patents
HYDROGEN PRODUCTION DEVICE - PANASONIC CORPORATION
Date: March 28, 2013
Inventor: Kenichi Tokuhiro, et. al., Japan
Assignee: Panasonic Corporation, Osaka
Abstract: The hydrogen production device of the present invention includes: a first electrode including a conductive substrate and a photocatalytic semiconductor layer; a second electrode that is electrically connected to the first electrode and disposed in a second region opposite to a first region relative to the first electrode, when the first region is defined as a region on a side of a surface of the first electrode in which the photocatalytic semiconductor layer is provided; a water-containing electrolyte solution; and a housing containing these. The first electrode ... and the second electrode (are) provided with ... through-holes (as diagrammed) ... for allowing the first region and the second region to communicate with each other. An ion exchange membrane having substantially the same shape as the communicating hole is disposed in the communicating hole to close the communicating hole.
Claims: A hydrogen production device comprising: a first electrode including a conductive substrate and a photocatalytic semiconductor supported on the conductive substrate; a second electrode that is electrically connected to the first electrode and disposed in a second region opposite to a first region relative to the first electrode, when the first region is defined as a region on a side of a surface of the first electrode in which the photocatalytic semiconductor is provided; a water-containing electrolyte solution in contact with the photocatalytic semiconductor and the second electrode; and a housing containing the first electrode, the second electrode, and the electrolyte solution, wherein the first electrode is provided with a plurality of through-holes at positions and the second electrode is provided with a plurality of through-holes at positions corresponding to the positions, and the through-holes form a plurality of communicating holes for allowing the first region and the second region to communicate with each other, and ion exchange membranes having substantially the same shape as the communicating holes are disposed in the communicating holes to close the communicating holes (and) wherein each of the communicating holes is in the form of a slit.
(And) wherein the second electrode is disposed in contact with the conductive substrate (and) further comprising an external circuit for electrically connecting the first electrode and the second electrode (and)wherein the external circuit includes a mechanism capable of applying a bias between the first electrode and the second electrode.
The hydrogen production device ... wherein the ion exchange membranes are sandwiched between the second electrode and the conductive substrate.
Background and Field: The present invention relates to a hydrogen production device for producing hydrogen through decomposition of water in a cell by irradiating an electrode including at least a photocatalytic semiconductor with light.
(Hydrogen) production using a photocatalyst is a system for producing hydrogen directly from water and sunlight, and can convert the solar energy effectively into hydrogen energy.
Summary: The present invention has been made to solve ... conventional problems (in the production of Hydrogen from Water), and it is an object of the present invention to provide a hydrogen production device capable of achieving cost reduction and further space reduction without decreasing its hydrogen production efficiency.
The hydrogen production device of the present invention ... makes it possible not only to collect produced gases separately but also to reduce cost more than (in the prior art). Furthermore, since the ion exchange membrane may be disposed in any manner as long as it is disposed to close the communicating hole, the structural constraints are relaxed to increase the flexibility of design and thus to achieve further reduction in cost and space."
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The disclosed process and design might not make the extraction of Hydrogen from Water any more energy efficient; but, it appears intended to enable the system to be sized in accordance with the demands of the intended end use of the Hydrogen.
One end use we would suggest is that seen - - for just one more example similar that in our above citation of Panasonic's own process of "United States Patent Application 20120018311 - Carbon Dioxide Reduction Method" - - in our recent report of:
West Virginia Coal Association | German Solar Energy is Converting CO2 into Methane | Research & Development; concerning, in part: "United States Patent Application 0130041051 - Method for Producing a Methane-rich Product Gas and Reactor System Usable for that Purpose; 2013; Assignee: Solar Fuel, Gmbh, (Germany); Abstract: The invention relates to a method for producing a methane-rich product gas, in which a starting gas containing hydrogen and carbon dioxide is catalytically methanated";
wherein Hydrogen can be reacted with Carbon Dioxide to form Methane; and, which Methane, produced from Hydrogen and Carbon Dioxide, could then, as seen in our report of:
West Virginia Coal Association | Japan is Recycling CO2 into Hydrocarbon Syngas | Research & Development; concerning, in part: "United States Patent 6,806,296 - Hydrocarbon Oil ... from Lower Hydrocarbon Gas (and) Carbon Dioxide; 2004; Assignee: Chiyoda Corporation (Japan); Abstract: A process for the production of a liquid hydrocarbon oil from a gas feed containing a lower hydrocarbon and CO2, wherein the gas feed is mixed with H2O to obtain a mixed gas having specific CO2, H2O and lower hydrocarbon contents. The mixed gas is contacted with a (specified) catalyst ... to produce a synthesis gas (which) is reacted in the presence of a Fischer-Tropsch catalyst to obtain a liquid hydrocarbon oil, while (more) synthesis gas (can be) reacted in the presence of one or more catalysts having methanol synthesizing, dehydrating and CO shift reaction activities to obtain dimethyl ether. The production of a synthesis gas may be performed by reacting Hydrocarbon gas containing CO2 with H2O in the presence of a catalyst. As Hydrocarbon gas, a lower hydrocarbon ... such as methane ... is preferred";
be reacted with even more Carbon Dioxide, with both being transformed through such reaction into a "synthesis gas" blend of Carbon Monoxide and reconstituted Hydrogen, suitable for "Fischer-Tropsch" catalytic conversion into "liquid hydrocarbon oil".
And, it could all start, in the first place, by using the process of our subject herein, "United States Patent Application 20130075250 - Hydrogen Production Device", to efficiently produce "hydrogen directly from water and sunlight".