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Void

Member

Registered: 2011-12-29

Posts: 7,755

Energy researchers break the (Sabatier'sPrincip) catalytic speed limit

While I am weak in the area of chemistry, and catalytic reactions, I have to guess that this could be of significance for catalytic reactions on Earth, in space, and on Mars.

All three of those should bode well for human advancement into space.  If you have a rich Earth, I guess some of the stimulation for going to space goes away, but your means are greatly promoted.  If you can do catalytic reactions better with less mass, of course this is going to be good if you are using catalytic reactions in space.  And of course on Mars.....Of course the easier and better it can be to have profit from actions, the better and better.

https://phys.org/news/2019-05-energy-ca … limit.html
Quote:

A team of researchers from the University of Minnesota and University of Massachusetts Amherst has discovered new technology that can speed up chemical reactions 10,000 times faster than the current reaction rate limit. These findings could increase the speed and lower the cost of thousands of chemical processes used in developing fertilizers, foods, fuels, plastics, and more......

….."This has the potential to completely change the way we manufacture almost all of our most basic chemicals, materials, and fuels," said Professor Dionisios Vlachos, director of the Catalysis Center for Energy Innovation. "The transition from conventional to dynamic catalysts will be as big as the change from direct to alternating current electricity."

Done

Last edited by Void (2019-05-28 12:05:53)

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tahanson43206

Moderator

Registered: 2018-04-27

Posts: 19,221

Re: Energy researchers break the (Sabatier'sPrincip) catalytic speed limit

For Void re #1 ...

Impressive find!

I'm hoping resident experts here in the forum will explore the potential of this set of discoveries, to see if (they) might benefit the energy production ideas discussed in recent months in other topics.

I am particularly taken by the idea that production facilities can be smaller than is normally true at present, and still generate a profit.

Edit: To be specific ... is it possible that the cost of an installation to produce a useful commodity could be made affordable for a small business, in the US or elsewhere?

The ideal (from my perspective) would be a configuration that could run unattended in the desert (in Texas for example) and generate a useful commodity, using solar energy as input.

If the site is close enough to the ocean, then an installation to produce NH3 would be feasible.  The output would need to be sufficient to cover the cost of a loan to create the installation, and to cover costs of entering the market, as well as costs of distribution.

What I am looking for is a solution that would allow ordinary people (living in any country) to be able to create useful products from facilities which they own directly, and thus to build up equity looking towards retirement.

(th)

Last edited by tahanson43206 (2019-05-28 13:42:33)

SpaceNut

Administrator

From: New Hampshire

Registered: 2004-07-22

Posts: 29,428

Re: Energy researchers break the (Sabatier'sPrincip) catalytic speed limit

Reactions in a chamber have always been an experiment to find the right catalyst to make a reaction as fast as one can but it comes with other drawbacks in the output purity is effected, the input pressures must be high, the reaction termperatures are high and the mix ratios are adjusted to get better through put.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sabatier_reaction
Changing the catalyst materials will change the temperature and output efficiency of conversion and purity. The Sabetier reactor is just that experiment still as we can take co2 a+ 4H2 and react them to yield CH4 + 2H2O if pure but we also can get other ethanes at different temperatures and input pressure ratios depending on the catalyst in the chamber.

Methanation reaction over different carried metal catalysts including Nickel (Ni), ruthenium (Ru)

It sounds as if they have an equation that when knowing the catalyst material will make a given output from a reaction.

Void

Member

Registered: 2011-12-29

Posts: 7,755

Re: Energy researchers break the (Sabatier'sPrincip) catalytic speed limit

Thanks for the input fellow members.

I have this as well, from recent news:
https://www.technology.org/2019/05/28/c … n-on-mars/
So, this one is a presumed linear impact of a CO2 molecule that bends it and allows the formation of O2 from CO2.  Not ready for prime time, but very interesting.

I think the linking item between what was in post #1 of this topic and this post, is motion, intertia, mass, and impact.  I presume that the #1 post involving resonation, wiggles molecules so as to bend them to near the breaking point, and then the catalyst and energy source finish the deed.

While there could be a penalty of energy need for the vibration or acceleration, and the output could have purity problems, there are cases where the output could be purified after being broken apart, re-arranged.  For instance O2 and H2, could be separated rather easily with a membrane, provided you don't provide conditions for an explosion or fire.  Or cryogenics could be employed to liquify the Oxygen, leaving the Hydrogen as a gas.

In the case of splitting CO2 into CO and O2, and with a lack of purity, it should also be possible to inject the CO and O2 into a water bath with microbes that can get their Carbon fuel from CO.  As they will need to take H2 from the water in order to manufacture the Carbohydrates of their bodies, then I presume that some O2 would be left behind.  That is if the microbes, I have described are not then eaten and digested by an Aerobic organism.

So, in that case your output could be microbial organic materials and O2, or perhaps fish.

But I will grant you, I am more of a bad student here than any kind of a source of instruction.

Before I quit, I have to wonder if since stars resonate/ring, perhaps our attempts at conducting fusion reactions could be facilitated by some kind of incorporation of resonation in the main process.

I am not shy to reach for things, even if it may leave me playing the fool.  Not always anyway.

I only have some good sense as for maintaining respect in the community.  Not necessarily a lot

Done.

Last edited by Void (2019-05-28 18:01:55)

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SpaceNut

Administrator

From: New Hampshire

Registered: 2004-07-22

Posts: 29,428

Re: Energy researchers break the (Sabatier'sPrincip) catalytic speed limit

Electrolysis is that wiggle to break appart the molecule, with the combining to form a new molecule is more akin to fusion of which there is an oscilation which can be seen in the gravity waves which we have now just begun detecting.

As far as comets I got thinking about the moon formation and wondered if water was on earth surface when the impact occured that moved materials into orbit around earth of course that material is heavier so it colesed into the moon while the water went traveling until it came back to pumbal the earth once more with the few remaining still circling the sun visiting from time to time.

As for the left over wastes from processing the energy has already been put in so why not put it into the next process even life contained can use some help with getting food....

SpaceNut

Administrator

From: New Hampshire

Registered: 2004-07-22

Posts: 29,428

Re: Energy researchers break the (Sabatier'sPrincip) catalytic speed limit

Reading through a number of older topics to see what we are missing for any level of landing to stay a mars cycle on it surface. It seems that we are not quite there is an understatement from the topics with the required data.