Aluminum and aluminum alloys as sources of hydrogen for fuel cell applications

Production of hydrogen using aluminum and aluminum alloys with aqueous alkaline solutions is studied. This process is based on aluminum corrosion, consuming only water and aluminum which are cheaper raw materials than other compounds used for in situ hydrogen generation, such as chemical hydrides. In principle, this method does not consume alkali because the aluminate salts produced in the hydrogen generation undergo a decomposition reaction that regenerates the alkali. As a consequence, this process could be a feasible alternative for hydrogen production to supply fuel cells. Preliminary results showed that an increase of base concentration and working solution temperature produced an increase of hydrogen production rate using pure aluminum. Furthermore, an improvement of hydrogen production rates and yields was observed varying aluminum alloys composition and increasing their reactive surface, with interesting results for Al/Si and Al/Co alloys. The development of this idea could improve yields and reduce costs in power units based on fuel cells which use hydrides as raw material for hydrogen production. © 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.