Found hopes to market this low-emission energy source to energy consumers in heavy industry
Found Energy,a Boston-based company, has succeeded in producing 2 kW of continuous thermal energy fromhydrogenin an experimental reactor that uses 1 kg of aluminum scrap as a fuel source.
The scrap metal is treated with a patented catalyst that causes it to release hydrogen particles into a water bath; these particles can be burned to generate thermal energy or stored in a fuel cell
Once the reaction is complete and the heat and hydrogen have dissipated, aluminum hydroxide remains.Aluminum hydroxide is a chemical precursor to alumina, which primary smelters use to produce pure metallic aluminum.
Found hopes to market this low-emission energy source to energy consumers in heavy industry, such as aluminum smelters, long-haul trucks, and ocean liners—all of which are powered bypetroleum-basedproducts that leave a larger carbon footprint. Found’s process focuses on using hard-to-recycle aluminum scrap, such as aluminum foil or “zorba,” a byproduct of car shredders.
The reactor, capable of generating electricity in the kilowatt range, is just the company’s initial offering. Found plans to begin testing a model capable of generating electricity in the megawatt range in the third quarter.The average U.S. household consumed 886 kWh of electricity per month in 2021, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.
GH Power, based in Canada, has also been working on its own aluminum scrap and hydrogen reactor. The company has pledged to build at least six reactors by the end of 2025, all ranging from 1 to 60 MW, according to a slide presentation from last year.
GH has not provided Argus with updated information on its operations in time for publication.
Although attempts to produce gaseous hydrogen from aluminum scrap have been underway for decades in the research sector, advances in sustaining the reaction and recycling catalysts for reuse have been the factors limiting commercial applications, an industry consultant explained to Argus.
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