"'Major Discovery' Primed To Unleash Solar Revolution: Scientists Mimic Essence Of Plants' Energy Storage System"

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Permalink Reply by Colorado Bob on July 31, 2008 at 7:46pm

Well Lou,

You may be right , but as I read it they're stripping the oxygen and hydrogen in two stages . And in electrolysis Hydrogen will appear at the cathode (the negatively charged electrode, where electrons are pumped into the water), and oxygen will appear at the anode (the positively charged electrode).
I'll see if I can dig up the MIT press release.

Anyway they're at MIT ..... it's not like they'll get a pass on this.

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Permalink Reply by Colorado Bob on July 31, 2008 at 7:55pm

The MIT release :
James Barber, a leader in the study of photosynthesis who was not involved in this research, called the discovery by Nocera and Kanan a "giant leap" toward generating clean, carbon-free energy on a massive scale.

"This is a major discovery with enormous implications for the future prosperity of humankind," said Barber, the Ernst Chain Professor of Biochemistry at Imperial College London. "The importance of their discovery cannot be overstated since it opens up the door for developing new technologies for energy production thus reducing our dependence for fossil fuels and addressing the global climate change problem."

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Permalink Reply by Colorado Bob on August 2, 2008 at 12:17pm

Lou -
You're not the Lone Ranger on this . Few have even heard of electrolysis, and those that have ..... at first blush, are reading it as an advance it that.
This is a brand new animal.

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Permalink Reply by Colorado Bob on August 2, 2008 at 12:29pm

Lou -
Podcast was great .

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Permalink Reply by Jeff Smoley on August 2, 2008 at 4:42pm

I listened to and read the podcast. All I see is an increase in the efficiency of electrolysis when not using an electrolyte. It is cheaper to use an electrolyte. Baking soda is not corrosive. So you use solar energy to generate the electricity. Unless I am completely missing something here?

I was able to electrolyze water into both hydrogen and oxygen in high school, in 1964. We showed that there was twice as much hydrogen produced as oxygen, as should be when the source is H2O. We used a 6 volt lantern battery. It was slow but it worked. I don't see where oxygen is a problem.

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Permalink Reply by Colorado Bob on August 2, 2008 at 9:26pm

Dear Jeff ...
Congratulations you are an "Internet Jack-Ass" . This whole post has passed right over that pea-brain you sleep with. And I will never win this debate, You are stuck in 1964, and the boys at MIT are racing into the 21st century. It's clear that you won't solve our energy problems. Do us all a favor , quit posting on the net, save the electrons.

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Permalink Reply by Thomas Ketchum on September 1, 2008 at 4:20am

AN OPEN LETTER TO MR. T. BOONE PICKENS.

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Sincerely,

Thomas L. Ketchum, Jr.
and Elena M. Ketchum
for
SC Thopy7 SRL
Strada Dr. Ion Nanu Muscel, Nr. 13, Ap. 3
Bucharest, Romania
050521

fax: 011-40-21-410-8910
office: 011-40-73-100-3792
email: FOLPLANT@AOL.COM

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