A team of Belgian researchers have created a proof-of-concept device that eats up air pollution and spits out energy in the form of hydrogen gas to solve two big challenges facing the planet that are clean air and alternative energy production.

Small-sized potential device. Source: IFL Science.
 

Researchers from the University of Antwerp and KU Leuven developed a device that purifies contaminated air and produces hydrogen gas, along with other byproducts. On top of that, it’s all activated by light. The findings are published in the journal ChemSusChem.
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The palm-sized box contains a photo-electrochemical cell to turn organic contaminated gas into hydrogen using a similar process to the technology found in solar panels. Instead of producing electricity, however, it generates power that is stored as hydrogen gas. It all sounds complicated, but it’s remarkably straightforward in practical terms.
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Hydrogen can be used as a fuel when it’s burned with oxygen, although the process of obtaining the hydrogen often produces carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide. Using a hydrogen fuel cell, you can convert hydrogen's chemical energy into electrical energy using the reaction of positively charged hydrogen ions with an oxidizing agent.
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Professor Verbruggen concluded: "We are currently working on a scale of only a few square centimeters. At a later stage, we would like to scale up our technology to make the process industrially applicable. We are also working on improving our materials so we can use sunlight more efficiently to trigger the reactions."

Source: IFL Science, VnExpress
Editor: Nguyen Thanh Ngoc
Translator: Kim Loan