Hybrid "Corn on the Cob" in an on-board electrolyzer should exothermally
produce H2 with an ~200 watt boost from the alternator, but , shelled corn is preferred:
Starch and Cellulose plus water: C6H10O5 + 6 H2O ----> 6 CO2 + 12 H2.
Not exactly the "Mr. Fusion" on a souped up DeLorean from the
1985 movie, "Back To The Future".
Some interesting facts about the movie. :-)
Terry could probably cob this up (so to speak) for his experiment.
Fred
4,389,288 (1983)
"The electrochemical gasification reaction of carbonaceous materials by anodic oxidation in an aqueous acidic electrolyte to produce oxides of carbon at the anode and hydrogen at the cathode of an electrolysis cell is catalyzed by the use of an iron catalyst."
"As acknowledged in U.S. Pat. No. 4,226,683, the principal problem in the past use of this principle for commercial production of hydrogen, was the slow rate of the electrochemical reaction of coal or carbon and water. It has now been found that iron, when added to an aqueous acidic electrolyte containing the carbonaceous material, and preferably iron in the +3 valence state, catalyzes the rate of reaction and assists in obtaining more complete oxidation for the electrochemical oxidation of the carbonaceous material at the anode thus making the commercial production of hydrogen or method of electrowinning commercially feasible."
"The carbonaceous materials suitable for use in accordance with the present invention include a wide variety of material such as bituminous coal, chars made from coal, lignite, peat, active carbons, coke, carbon blacks, graphite; wood or other lignocellulosic materials including forest products, such as wood waste, wood chips, sawdust, wood dust, bark, shavings, wood pellets; including various biomass materials as land or marine vegetation or its waste after other processing, including grasses, various cuttings, crops and crop wastes, coffee grounds, leaves, straw, pits, hulls, shells, stems, husks, cobs and waste materials including animal manure; sewage sludge resulting from municipal treatment plants, and plastics or the scraps or wastes formed in the production of plastic such as polyethylene, cellulose acetate and the like. Thus, it is seen that substantially any fuel or waste material whether a liquid, such as oil, a gas, such as !
methane or other ! ! hydrocarbon or waste material containing carbon, with the exception of CO.sub.2, provides a suitable source of carbonaceous material for use according to this invention."
"The particular apparatus used to carry out the electrolytic oxidation of carbonaceous materials is not critical. Substantially, the same apparatus and techniques that are utilized in the electrolytic decomposition of water as well as those described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,268,363, 4,226,683 and 4,233,132 which references are incorporated herein by reference, can be used with the method of this invention. Any selection of appropriate changes in use of materials and/or technique is well within the skill of those versed in the art to which this invention applies."
"The particular apparatus used to carry out the electrolytic oxidation of carbonaceous materials is not critical. Substantially, the same apparatus and techniques that are utilized in the electrolytic decomposition of water as well as those described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,268,363, 4,226,683 and 4,233,132 which references are incorporated herein by reference, can be used with the method of this invention. Any selection of appropriate changes in use of materials and/or technique is well within the skill of those versed in the art to which this invention applies."
