Ceramic Sponges That Sop Up Sulfur Could Boost Energy Technologies

摘要

Fuel cells and coal-burning plants may seem worlds apart technologically, but they share a common enemy: sulfur. Even a trace of it in the hydrogen gas that feeds fuel cells will poison the catalysts that convert hydrogen into electricity. Next-generation coal plants that will convert coal into a hydrogen-rich gas must also remove sulfur before the gas can be transformed into liquid fuels or used in fuel cells. Current technologies for capturing sulfur have made some progress, but often at a high cost. Now, new work with compounds called rare earth oxides could shift sulfur removal— and energy-generating technologies potentially stymied by sulfur—into high gear.