Air pollution filter and clean energy emission device

A team of researchers in Belgium has created a device that can "eat" polluted air and "spit" out clean energy in the form of hydrogen gas.

A device that filters toxic gases and generates clean energy is only as small as the palm of your hand. Photo: IFL Science.

Researchers at the Universities of Antwerp and Leuven have developed a device that cleans polluted air and produces hydrogen gas and other byproducts. The entire device is activated by light. They published their findings in the journal ChemSusChem today, according to IFL Science.

The palm-sized box contains a photoelectrochemical cell that converts toxic organic gases into hydrogen, using a process similar to solar cell technology. However, instead of generating electricity, the device produces stored energy in the form of hydrogen gas. The process may seem complicated, but it is very effective.

"We use a small device with two chambers separated by a membrane," said Professor Sammy Verbruggen, who led the research. "Air is filtered at one end, while hydrogen gas is produced at the other end from part of the decay products. This hydrogen gas can be stored and used later as a fuel, for example to power hydrogen-powered buses."

"In the past, membrane batteries were mainly used to separate hydrogen from water. Now we found that it can be applied to polluted air with even higher efficiency," said Professor Verbruggen.

Hydrogen can be used as a fuel when burned with oxygen, although this process produces carbon dioxide (CO2) and carbon monoxide (CO). Using a hydrogen fuel cell, you can convert the chemical energy of hydrogen into electrical energy, based on the reaction of positively charged hydrogen ions with an oxidizing agent.

The researchers are now looking to scale up the device and its potential applications. "We are working on a version that is just a few square centimeters in size. In the next stage, we will scale up the technology so that the process becomes feasible on an industrial scale. We are also looking to improve the materials to use sunlight more efficiently to trigger the reactions," said Professor Verbruggen./.

According to VNE