Exploring the Potential of Ammonia and Hydrogen as Future Transport Fuels
Key Ideas
- Ammonia, with its stability and similarity to propane in terms of storage, shows promise as a future transport fuel, offering a carbon-friendly alternative to traditional fuels like hydrogen.
- Ammonia can be utilized in various fuel cell technologies including Solid Oxide Fuel Cells (SOFC) and proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cells, showcasing its versatility and potential for energy generation.
- Companies like Amogy are already developing scalable solutions to convert ammonia to hydrogen on demand, enabling its use in a wide range of vehicles from drones to tugboats, leveraging existing ammonia handling expertise.
- While ammonia production through the Haber-Bosch process generates CO2, methods such as green hydrogen extraction and carbon capture technologies offer avenues for reducing its environmental impact in the future.
In a thought-provoking article by Jorgen Pedersen, the potential of ammonia and hydrogen as future transport fuels is explored in depth. Ammonia, often overlooked compared to battery electric or traditional hydrogen technologies, presents a promising alternative with its stability and ease of storage similar to propane. The article delves into the chemical composition of ammonia and hydrogen, highlighting the differences in volatility and safety aspects. Advantages of using ammonia in transport include its existing infrastructure for handling and distribution, as well as its potential for use in various fuel cell technologies such as SOFCs and PEM cells. Noteworthy is the development of scalable solutions by companies like Amogy, enabling the conversion of ammonia to hydrogen for diverse vehicle applications. Despite certain challenges like the need for additional fuels for combustion stabilization and CO2 emissions during production, innovative approaches like green hydrogen extraction and carbon capture technologies offer solutions to mitigate environmental impacts. The article concludes with a positive outlook on the role of ammonia in the future of transportation, emphasizing its potential to contribute to carbon-neutral goals and diversify the energy landscape.