On the way to a hydrogen-powered vehicle

The fuel giant Exxon-Mobil, together with researchers at Ben-Gurion University and other partners, is on the way to developing a system for producing hydrogen inside the vehicle

The energy giant ExxonMobil has announced a collaboration with QuestAir Technologies, Plug-Power and the Blashner Center for Industrial Catalysis and Process Development at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev for the commercial production of the world's first vehicle with A system for producing hydrogen fuel installed on the vehicle itself. The new system is expected to be up to 80% more efficient than the internal combustion engines accepted today and reduce carbon dioxide emissions by up to 45%.

The technology contains a sulfur trap that is based on development led by the Blashner Center for Industrial Catalysis, under the leadership of Prof. Motti Hershkowitz, the university's vice president and dean for research and development and director of the Blashner Center, in collaboration with Prof. Myron Landau and Yehudit Reisner, from the Department of Chemical Engineering.

According to the agreements, Flag-Power will strive to install in forklifts, on a commercial scale, unique technologies developed by Exxon-Mobil, Quest-Air and the Blashner Center for Industrial Catalysis and Process Development at Ben-Gurion University. The system uses liquid hydrocarbon fuel - gasoline, diesel, ethanol or biodiesel - converts it into hydrogen on the vehicle itself and uses it to drive a fuel cell engine.

"By developing a system that converts hydrocarbon fuels into hydrogen on the vehicle itself, we hope to achieve significant advantages in the area of ​​safety and cost compared to other hydrogen vehicles, while reducing the damage to the environment," said Dr. Emil Jacobs, Exxon-Mabil's vice president for research, development and engineering.

"There is still a long way to go before this technology is applied on a large scale in passenger cars, but it has the potential to be more than 80% more efficient compared to internal combustion engine technologies, while reducing carbon dioxide emissions to 45%. The use of this technology, especially in commercial settings, is an important step in presenting the potential benefits that this technology can offer in the long term," said Dr. Jacobs.

Most of the existing prototypes of hydrogen vehicles are powered by high-pressure compressed hydrogen or liquid hydrogen, which is distributed to special fueling stations and stored on the vehicle. In order to achieve widespread commercial use of these vehicles, significant infrastructures must be developed for the production and distribution of hydrogen. Since ExxonMobil's system uses conventional fuels and produces the hydrogen on demand, there is no need for new infrastructure. In addition, the safety hazards associated with the transport and storage of hydrogen are avoided.

"Thanks to the leadership and research capabilities of Exxon-Mobil as well as the technical excellence of the partners, we found a way to reduce the size of the system that produces hydrogen, so that it can be installed on vehicles and the company has a fuel cell," said Dr. Jacobs. "Since the system does not require changes to the fuel distribution infrastructure - unlike systems that use compressed hydrogen - we can help manufacturers reach the marketing of hydrogen-powered vehicles faster for all their environmental advantages."

Today's announcement was preceded by years of joint work by Exxon-Mobil, Flag-Air and the Blashner Center for Industrial Catalysis and Process Development at Ben-Gurion University in the Negev. In an agreement signed by B. third. Negev, the technology commercialization company of Ben-Gurion University. Each of the research partners developed certain components in the right fuel system. The system guarantees high efficiency, quick start, low price and above all a reduction of carbon dioxide emissions compared to today's cars.

The hydrogen fuel system includes an advanced fuel-to-hydrogen converter developed by Exxon-Mobil, a hydrogen separation system developed by Quest-Air, and an S-Trap sulfur treatment system developed in collaboration with the Blashner Center for Industrial Catalysis and Process Development at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev.

* ExxonMobil, the largest oil company in the world. The American company consistently leads in research and development and is considered one of the world's largest producers of hydrogen through its refineries and global networks.

*The Belashner Center for Industrial Catalysis and Process Development at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev is a linking body between academic research and industry, supporting researchers engaged in developing their inventions into products of commercial value. The center, established in 1995, is committed to basic research, which deals with the development of innovative catalytic processes.