Magnesium for Energy?
Magnesium is highly reactive and stores a lot of energy. Researchers are now turning attention to devising ways to extract energy from magnesium.
Some scientists have been reported to have the opinion that there is enough magnesium to meet the world’s energy needs for the next thousand years.
Although the mineral magnesium is abundant, its production is more difficult to feel confident of supply. The techniques for extraction vary with the most common being either electrolytic processes or extreme high temperature method.
The latter method had been claimed as developed by Dr. Takashi Yabe of the Tokyo Institute of Technology.
Yabe who uses concentrated solar collectors and a solar-pump laser method that can arrive at over 3,000 degrees centigrade. This is the method devised to burn magnesium oxide extracted from seawater.
Another method is a magnesium based version of the lithium-ion rechargeable cell claimed by Dr. Doron Aurbach at Bar-Ilan University n Israel.
A metal-air cell that uses water and ambient air to react with a magnesium anode is used to generate electricity as reported by engineers at MagPower where some intensive experimentation is being carried out. They have found that the capabilities of magnesium-air fuel cells possess electrolyte versatility using common saline solution or seawater in conjunction with their hydrogen inhibitors.
Hydrogen inhibitors have increased effectiveness of this method that can result in reducing metal-air fuel cells and batteries.
It appears that there are some very promising avenues of research along lines that have the potential for success in providing alternative fuel sources for the future.
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