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Scientists Find a way to Generate Electricity -- From Simple Seawater
Scientists have discovered a reliable way to extract renewable energy from ordinary seawater. The research team, from the Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne's Laboratory of Nanoscale Biology in Switzerland, employed a natural process called osmosis, where a fluid permeates through a membrane from one side to another.
Simply put, as ions from the salt water cross over into the fresh water, they affect the total electrical charge found in the water on each side of the membrane, a charge that can be tapped for electrical use. In this case, the researchers reduced the thickness of a molybdenum disulfide membrane to a mere three atoms -- the thinner the membrane, the more electrical current it can generate.
However, the key to making the device more effective at generating electricity was found in the size of the tiny pores in the membrane that allow the ions through: if the holes are too small, the device produces more voltage, but has a weak electrical current; conversely, if the holes are too big, the device's efficiency drops, resulting in a higher current, but lower voltage. By tweaking the size of the nanopore used, the researchers found its optimal size, enabling them to squeeze a large amount of electricity out of the device: they estimate that a one-meter square membrane (10.8 square feet) membrane could generate 1 megawatt of electricity.
The advantage this form of power generation has over other renewable sources is that it can potentially maintain constant power generation, as opposed to solar or wind generation, methods that must rely on the availability of their respective energy sources. The osmosis method would be most effective in river estuaries, where large volumes of fresh water meet the sea, and manufacturing costs should be relatively cheap, as the molybdenum disulfide used to make the membranes is relatively abundant. The only hurdle seen by the research team is devising a method of reliably manufacturing the nanopores in the membrane on a large scale, to allow for large-scale manufacturing of the devices.
Read the original source: http://www.unknowncountry.com/news/scientists-find-way-generate-electricity-simple-seawater#ixzz4FBurvfH4
Replies
One then wonders where the energy for active transport might come from in the sea. We know that there is lots of heat energy there but which is in thermodynamic equilibrium. So the nanopumb, if it were to use the heat energy, will better be a 'Maxwell's Demon'!!
An abit similar process is that of seperation of charges through the familiar way of rubbing two surfaces of different kinds. Yes in this case the charges will difuse across the surfaces using the heat energy (rubbing is not absolutely necesary, it is heat inherent in the bodies that drives charges ). But this is because electrons are far lighter than protons and thus given the same heat, electrons tend to move more. So you can see that narture was being realy wise here! In the case of ions though, there isn't such a garantee for a negative ion need not be significantly lighter than the positive ion. Therefore seperating charged ions requires nanomachines.
Interesting article. Thank you Pet Rock :)
i can tell you now that sweden already had this technology because my friends dad was in the military in sweden before coming to australia, this is old technology, which means if you got this technology now means they have a better alternative we will never see the light of day.
Besides here in victoria, australia, we already have a decelenation plant that is just doing that anyways, it cost us the victorian taxpayers over 7 billion dollars to make. Waste of money i say.
Besides Kryon of magnetic service said their is a better way in which we would have benefited even more better was to use nanotechnology emerse the nanobytes into the sea salt water magnatize it and the salt particulates in it will separate from the fresh water pull the magnetic metal out and end the nanobyte off the magnetic plug and you get totally freshwater, but the cabal did not want this idea from getting out means no more control of water ways.
I think the 'new' part is the pores in the membrane