Making Fuel Cells more efficient
Melbourne-based Ceramic Fuel Cells (ASX:CFU) has developed the solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) technology to generate low-emission electricity from natural gas and renewable fuels, and now it has reached a new milestone, achieving 60% electrical efficiency from one of its natural gas powered fuel-cell heating system while exporting electricity to the grid.
“This milestone takes our company to a new level,” said MD Brendan Dow. “We have now achieved 60% efficiency in a fully integrated fuel cell and heating system, while exporting 1.5 kW of electricity to the grid.”
“This is not a laboratory test but a unit that has all the functions of a commercial unit for homes. Our company’s products will be located in the home, so 60% efficiency is at the power point, with no transmission or electricity distribution losses.” CFU’s (http://www.cfcl.com.au/) technology uses fuel cells made from ceramic materials to generate highly efficient and low emission electricity and heat from natural gas and renewable fuels. It is developing SOFC products for small-scale, on-site, micro combined heat and power (m-CHP) and distributed generation units that co-generate electricity and heat for domestic use.
The units take in fuel, air and water to produce heat and electricity. They also recover heat from the electricity production process and use it to heat home hot water, which can increase the units’ efficiency by up to a further 25%.
“We are able to trap the heat from our units and use it to heat a household’s water, taking our efficiency to 85%” said Dow. “Compare this to average efficiency of the current power grid in Victoria of less than 30% and it represents a huge advantage.”
The high electrical efficiency of CFU’s products will open up new applications and markets for its fuel cells, including as standalone electricity generators and charging stations for electric cars, the company said.
CSIRO and a consortium of energy and industrial companies set up Ceramic Fuel Cells in 1992 and it began developing its first generation of fuel cells a year after that. It has so far spent $220m developing its technology. For the full story go to: http://www.environmentalmanagementnews.net/StoryView.asp?StoryID=1002543
Leading light from Norway in Sydney on using sunlight to purify water
Innovative research at the University of Western Sydney using clever chemistry and sunlight to purify water has received a boost with a visit by an international expert from Norway. Professor Truls Norby, from the University of Oslo, has joined the UWS Solar Energy Technologies Group as a visiting academic. Professor Norby is an expert in hydrogen chemistry with particular research interest in the reactivity between hydrogen and oxide semiconductors, which are able to harness solar energy for a wide range of applications.
During his visit, Professor Norby will work with his UWS colleagues on a new approach for water purification - removing bacteria and toxic organic compounds - using oxide semiconductors. It's hoped the collaboration will lead to a joint research proposal from UWS and the University of Oslo for a novel water treatment using sunlight as the only driving force of the process.
Once developed, an efficient solar-driven water purification process would be in strong demand in Australia and areas of Asia and Africa where access to safe drinking water is sometimes difficult but sunshine is abundant. Professor Janusz Nowotny of the UWS Solar Energy Technologies Group believes the visit by an eminent academic is an important step in building closer international collaborations between Australia and Norway on renewable energy.
"Professor Norby has established a prominent research centre on oxide semiconductors in Oslo. There are many overlaps between his centre and the UWS Solar Energy Technologies Group in terms of research and scientific goals," says Professor Nowotny, who has recently joined UWS along with colleagues Associate Professor Tad Bak, Dr Leigh Sheppard and Dr Maria Nowotny.
"Working with Professor Norby is a great privilege and the partnership being forged will produce a critical mass of knowledge, experience and research expertise. This is the first step in building a stronger alliance of similar research groups around the world - all focused on delivering new methods to safely produce energy and clean water without consuming precious resources," Professor Nowotny says.
The Solar Energy Technologies Group is based at the Hawkesbury and Campbelltown campuses.
Professor Truls Norby is Professor of Chemistry and works within the Centre for Materials Science and Nanotechnology, where he heads the FERMiO top-tier research initiative on functional energy related materials in Oslo. His main focus of research is in materials for electrochemical and photoelectrochemical energy conversion devices, especially issues related to hydrogen.
During his visit to UWS, Professor Norby will deliver a lecture at the "Energy: Environmentally Friendly Solutions" workshop at the Campbelltown campus on Friday 27 March from 9:30am to 5:30pm in Building 30. More details: http://www.uws.edu.au/solarenergy
Are small scale biogas plants possible?
A pilot biogas plant project in Murdoch University aims to come up with a standardised, small-scale biogas plant for use at commercial and residential facilities. The researchers, led by the school’s Environmental Technology Centre director Dr Jaya Nair, said the project, will assess areas such as electricity generation capacity using different organic wastes and management options for sludge produced.
“This project mainly looks into using a particular type of waste, as the gas generated varies with the waste type, the management options of the sludge and optimise the process under different climatic conditions for maximum treatment of waste and gas recovery.” Dr Nair said. The study will use a 2 cubic metre plant to study biogas plants with 2-10 tonne capacity, she said. One tonne of organic is expected to generate some 3-7kW of electricity – depending on the type of waste used and on the conditions under which the plant operates.
The biogas technology involves feeding waste into a sealed fermentation tank for anaerobic treatment, making it unlike composting systems that can have problems of odour, dust and pests. Murdoch University says the project is “the first of its kind in Australia”.
The first stage of operations is slated to begin from April 15, followed by a second stage from July 15 in which researchers would be able to start assessing the gas output, water treatment and sludge production. The final stage, due to be completed by December, would see the “standardisation procedure” produced for operations. Electricity generation capacity could be more clearly determined by this stage.
Dr Nair said the relatively compact size of the plant would make it convenient for application in communities such as mining villages, remote and rural communities, supermarkets, zoos and housing estates across the country. On-site treatment means less carbon footprint racked up from transporting the waste for processing elsewhere and prevents other negative environmental impacts, such as waste ending up in landfill. For more on this story go to http://www.environmentalmanagementnews.net/StoryView.asp?StoryID=980370
Not to be outdone Kiwis tackle wasted algae for biofuel
New Zealand-based Aquaflow Bionomic Corporation (www.aquaflowgroup.com) aims to be the first company in the world to economically produce and market biofuel from algae that is harvested from open-air environments, such as council wastewater ponds. The company says its process can be used in “many industries that produce a waste stream, including the transport, dairy, meat and paper industries.”
The company’s pilot plant converts algae from council waste sites into crude, which can be distilled into petrol, diesel and kerosene. Its recent work includes the refining of the crude to produce “synthetic paraffinic kerosene,” which can be blended with petroleum-based kerosene to power jet engines.
The pilot plant can produce 60L of crude per hour, at an estimated production cost of US$43 ($66) per barrel. The facility is now ramping up to produce double the amount of crude, the company said.
One of the technology’s added benefits is that it cleans algae from waste streams. The first stage of the process filters wastewater from council treatment plants, removing algae. Clean water is passed back to the waste stream, while algae in the remaining sludge enters the second stage of crude oil production.
“Algae are provided with full opportunity to exploit the nutrients available in the settling ponds, thereby cleaning up the water. The algae are then harvested to remove the remaining contaminant. A last stage of bio-remediation, still in development, will ensure that the water discharge from the process exceeds acceptable quality standards,” says Aquaflow.
“The company is harvesting wild algae, [which is] a waste stream,” Aquaflow points out. “Most competing algae technology focuses on farmed algae, which incurs significant costs, [while] most other biofuel feedstocks rely on cheap labour or food product inputs to be commercial.”
More on this story from http://www.environmentalmanagementnews.net/StoryView.asp?StoryID=980362
Events to support business survival and growth
The NSW Department of State and Regional Development is hosting the following free seminars for businesses at Level 2, 470 Church St North Parramatta.
Financial Mastery for Business Owners, 7 April 2009, 8.30 am – 10.30 am: Ben Fewtrell of ActionCOACH Business Coaching shows how to simplify the basics of business numbers and gain control of its main resource, cash. Ben also reveals how mastering numbers might lead to increased cash flow and profits.
Each participant can download cash flow forecasting, budgeting and break even analysis tools. For more details and to register on line click on: http://events.smallbiz.nsw.gov.au/Events.aspx?eventid=58
Recession Proof Marketing 15 April 2009, 8.30 am – 10.30 am: Step Change Communications presenters Simon Rutherford and Ashton Bishop, demonstrate how to recession-proof a business by using strategic marketing.
Almost 90 per cent of small businesses fail within the first five years, and the number is rising. Presently more than 500 Australian businesses fail each month. For more details and to register on line click on: http://events.smallbiz.nsw.gov.au/Events.aspx?eventid=59
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