Introduction
For the mobile sector, fuel cells can be split into two main groups. One group is that of the direct methanol fuel cells (DMFC) and the other is that of the hydrogen fuel cells (HFC). The energy sources for both types of fuel cell can be produced on a CO2-neutral basis. However, energy efficiency varies a great deal.
The HFC enjoys far greater public awareness than the DMFC. The internet, the media and the R&D departments of car companies focus predominantly on the HFC.
It is, however, the DMFC that holds the greatest potential to drastically reduce carbon dioxide emissions, even though the DMFC locally emits CO2. What is more, the bulk of the methanol can be produced on a CO2-neutral basis. The environmental advantages of the global fall in oil consumption and the heavily reduced CO2 emissions would be enormous. By comparison, the CO2-reducing potential of HFC, which in practice do not cause any CO2 emissions but indirectly generate CO2 through the preparation of H2, is negligible.
infrastructure of hydrogen as opposed to methanol
The technical facilities for transporting and storing methanol are already in place. It would only take minor modifications to render the current conventional petrol infrastructure fit for use. The same applies to the safety standards, as these are also identical.
The everyday handling of hydrogen is far more costly and complex than that of methanol. This results in much higher costs and thus presents a particular obstacle to widespread use in less developed areas. Hydrogen requires an expensive infrastructure whose construction and maintenance also use a lot of energy. There are also strict safety standards to be adhered to.
Summary
To sum up, hydrogen cannot beat the superior energy efficiency of methanol. Methanol consumes far less energy during both production and transport. This is not to denigrate hydrogen or place it on a par with the fossil fuels. When fuel cell technology develops further thanks to the establishment of the DMFC, and once new ecological forms of energy become available, then the HFC will also have its day. However, the pressing question for the immediate future is that of energy efficiency and how much more CO2 will be generated during hydrogen production and in the overall infrastructure of the hydrogen cycle.
DISADVANTAGES OF THE DMFC AND THEIR SOLUTION!
The DMFC got two major issues:
- The Surface Intermediates
- The Methanol Crossover.
When we choose a Membrane with a lower permeability for methanol, the Methanol Crossover will be reduced but the Surface Intermediates will increase. With a higher permeability the opposite will be happen.
The solution against both issues would be to accept the one you got a solution for: To take a membrane with the lowest acceptable Methanol Crossover and stimulate the Surface Intermediates to react faster to free the membrane for further reactants.
What is standing behind “Stimulate the reactants”: For every chemical reaction the reactants must pass a potential barrier. The stimulation lowers the barrier and increases the energy level of the reactants. The stimulation could be realized by an oscillating electric and/or magnetic field or a mechanical vibration.
