ReMeF-tuning

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We propose aluminium as renewble energy storage vector (Renewable Metal Fuel) and in this project we are tuning the reactivity of aluminium grains such that they can be used for the production of hydrogen and heat. Project idea descriptionRenewable Metal Fuels offer new possibilities for the long-term storage of energy with energy densities that are volumetrically twice as high as those of heating oil and ten time higher than liquid hydrogen. For example, a sensational 23.4 MWh of energy can be obtained from an aluminium cube with 1 m side length. This energy can be used in winter to cover the electricity and heat requirements of buildings or industrial processes. For further information of this technology please consult https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecmx.2019.100017 or https://www.reveal-storage.eu. One of the most promising materials for a Renewable Metal Fuel is aluminium. Due to its low cost and high abundance in the earth's crust, it can be expected that carbon emission free aluminium produced from renewable energies will become a global commodity with largetrade volume in the near future. Previous attempts to use aluminium as a fuel for combustion or for aluminium-water reactions were based on fine aluminium powder. This brings along safety issues and extra cost for safety measures since fine metal powders may react explosively with oxygen. We areusing larger granules or grains that are safe to handle, which comes along with less surface area per weight and thus slower reactivity. In this project we want to increase reactivity of aluminium grains in our specific reaction environment by alloying with other elements that enhance reactivity of the exothermic aluminium-water reaction that produces hydrogen and aluminium hydroxide.Customers are home and facility owners that need heat in winter and can make use of Alu-to-Energy devices that provide heat and electricity based on tha luminium-water reaction that provides heat and hydrogen in a first step, and heat as well as electricity if combined with a fuel cell in a second step. As our technology fills the winter gap of renewable energy that is estimated to be around 10 TWh by 2050, the market size is 10 TWh at a price of about 200 CHF / MWh (for peak winter demand) and hence 2'000 Mio CHF (or 2 Mia CHF) per year. Avoiding gas burners for covering this winter gap reduces CO2 emissions by roughly 2 Mio metric tons per year.Current status and previous activitesIn a previous project we tried to go for converting aluminium plates in electrochemical cells directly to electricity, but this approach has been too costly for the cost of cell design and air breathing electrode and it did not yield the high(er) share of electric energy vs. heat from the aluminium reaction that we hoped for.Current status is that we have discovered in other projects that the alloying and production method of aluminium grains plays a major role for the reactivity of these grains, and we would like to exploit the possibility to fine-tune alloying and production process for fast reaction in aluminium-water reaction, producing hydrogen without having to go down to the size of aluminium powder, since metal powders would create safety issues for being explosive when mixed with air.Planned work packages are1) Building up company and team (5000 CHF): website, social media, business plan;2) Invsting in technology and innovation (10'000 CHF): Continuous casting machine for producing Al-alloys and fuels, semester thesis for producing and testing fuels3) Testing the market (5000 CHF): Interviews with potential customersFurther informationThe energy lab team could possibly help with reviewing the business planThe implementing partner is apricot 366 GmbH

Project Idea Metadata

• Project Idea Name: ReMeF-tuning
• Date: 7/9/2024 2:30:41 PM
• Administrators:

Project Idea Description

Project idea description

Renewable Metal Fuels offer new possibilities for the long-term storage of energy with energy densities that are volumetrically twice as high as those of heating oil and ten time higher than liquid hydrogen. For example, a sensational 23.4 MWh of energy can be obtained from an aluminium cube with 1 m side length. This energy can be used in winter to cover the electricity and heat requirements of buildings or industrial processes. For further information of this technology please consult https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecmx.2019.100017 or https://www.reveal-storage.eu.

One of the most promising materials for a Renewable Metal Fuel is aluminium. Due to its low cost and high abundance in the earth's crust, it can be expected that carbon emission free aluminium produced from renewable energies will become a global commodity with large

trade volume in the near future.

Previous attempts to use aluminium as a fuel for combustion or for aluminium-water reactions were based on fine aluminium powder. This brings along safety issues and extra cost for safety measures since fine metal powders may react explosively with oxygen. We are

using larger granules or grains that are safe to handle, which comes along with less surface area per weight and thus slower reactivity.

In this project we want to increase reactivity of aluminium grains in our specific reaction environment by alloying with other elements that enhance reactivity of the exothermic aluminium-water reaction that produces hydrogen and aluminium hydroxide.

Customers are home and facility owners that need heat in winter and can make use of Alu-to-Energy devices that provide heat and electricity based on tha luminium-water reaction that provides heat and hydrogen in a first step, and heat as well as electricity if combined with a fuel cell in a second step. As our technology fills the winter gap of renewable energy that is estimated to be around 10 TWh by 2050, the market size is 10 TWh at a price of about 200 CHF / MWh (for peak winter demand) and hence 2'000 Mio CHF (or 2 Mia CHF) per year. Avoiding gas burners for covering this winter gap reduces CO2 emissions by roughly 2 Mio metric tons per year.

Current status and previous activites

In a previous project we tried to go for converting aluminium plates in electrochemical cells directly to electricity, but this approach has been too costly for the cost of cell design and air breathing electrode and it did not yield the high(er) share of electric energy vs. heat from the aluminium reaction that we hoped for.

Current status is that we have discovered in other projects that the alloying and production method of aluminium grains plays a major role for the reactivity of these grains, and we would like to exploit the possibility to fine-tune alloying and production process for fast reaction in aluminium-water reaction, producing hydrogen without having to go down to the size of aluminium powder, since metal powders would create safety issues for being explosive when mixed with air.

Planned work packages are

1) Building up company and team (5000 CHF): website, social media, business plan;

2) Invsting in technology and innovation (10'000 CHF): Continuous casting machine for producing Al-alloys and fuels, semester thesis for producing and testing fuels

3) Testing the market (5000 CHF): Interviews with potential customers

Further information

• The energy lab team could possibly help with reviewing the business plan
• The implementing partner is apricot 366 GmbH

We propose aluminium as renewble energy storage vector (Renewable Metal Fuel) and in this project we are tuning the reactivity of aluminium grains such that they can be used for the production of hydrogen and heat.