In the Army Now! Military Developing Ethanol Fuel Cell
Electricity-generating fuel cells that can be fueled by a cheap, abundant, and renewable fuel source seem to be the holy grail of a low-emission, energy-independent future. Up to now, making the hydrogen that’s powered fuel cell cars has been expensive, but the US military may have come up with new way to generate electricity in a fuel cell with a fuel that we’ve been writing an awful lot about, lately: ethanol.
The new ethanol fuel cell is in the works at the US Army’s Armament Research, Development and Engineering Center in New Jersey. Designed to run on corn ethanol, the new fuel cell could end up playing an important role in the Army’s ability to manage the hazardous materials waste stream from its munitions manufacturing operations. Tina Casey, from our sister site, Cleantechnica, has the story, below.
A new green fuel cell is in the works courtesy of the US Army’s “Center of Lethality,” aka the Armament Research, Development and Engineering Center headquartered at Picatinny Arsenal in New Jersey. The fuel cell is designed to run on corn ethanol, which we don’t find particularly exciting…