Borax May Soon Run Car Engines

Dec. 14, 2001 -- How do you develop a safe, clean-burning fuel for cars of the future? Surprisingly, the answer may lie in a common, soapy chemical.

For years, visionaries have proposed that the world switch from using hydrocarbons — fossil fuels such as diesel oil, gasoline and coal — to pure hydrogen. It is the most abundant element on earth and when "burned," produces only non-polluting water and heat.

Unfortunately, hydrogen can also explode very easily, making it difficult to use in cars. Storage tanks for hydrogen-powered cars would have to be sturdy and heavy enough to prevent Hindenberg-like explosions during collisions.

Powered by Borax

But Millennium Cell Inc., a privately held company in Eatontown, N.J., has developed a unique solution to mitigate the dangers of hydrogen fuel.

The company's Hydrogen on Demand fuel technology is based on a compound of sodium borohydride. The chemical — derived from borax, an ingredient found in most laundry detergents — is dissolved in water to produce a stable and non-flammable liquid.

When the liquid is combined with Millennium Cell's patented catalyst, an instant chemical reaction produces liquid borax and pure hydrogen gas. The hydrogen can then be immediately burned in an engine or used in a fuel cell which converts the gas directly into electricity and water.

Safe and Reusable

Stephen Tang, the chief executive officer of Millennium Cell, says this setup offers various unique advantages.

For one, the system is completely safe since it produces the dangerous hydrogen gas only as needed. Once the flow of sodium borohydride over the catalyst stops, so does the production of hydrogen. The sodium borohydride is also safe enough to be stored in standard fuel tanks, saving on weight and complexity.

The fuel technology is also completely non-polluting. When the Millennium scheme is used in conjunction with a fuel cell, the only by-products are non-toxic liquid borax and water.

What's more, Tang says that the waste liquid borax can be stored and later recycled back into sodium borohydride. "Essentially, you just need to add back the hydrogen," says Tang.

Engineers at the Chrysler side of international automaker DaimlerChrysler AG recently showed off a fuel cell concept car that uses Millennium's technology. Chrysler officials say the futuristic Natrium minivan can travel about 300 miles — roughly 50 percent further than typical fuel cell cars that use other fuels — between fill-ups.

The Dirty Drawbacks

But Millennium's Hydrogen on Demand isn't a clear-cut winner that will change the world of transportation. Even Tang admits that there are a few kinks to work out before it becomes a wide-spread solution.

For one, Millennium's proprietary catalyst is composed in part of a very rare — and expensive — earth metal called ruthenium. The metal is appropriate for current test purposes, but Tang admits that as the company scales up production a less exotic material may have to be used to keep costs in check.

Another potentially expensive problem may be the sodium borohydride "fuel" itself.

Roddie Judkins, director of the fossil energy program at Oak Ridge National Laboratories in Tennessee, praises the Millennium's innovative use of borax. But he's not sure that the chemical can be turned into hydrogen-enriched sodium borohydride cheaply or efficiently enough for wide scale use.

"You have to have hydrogen [production] somewhere to [convert] borax into sodium borohydride," says Judkins. And producing pure hydrogen requires energy which must be produced by some means and at some cost that is yet to be determined. "The question is, is the convenience and safety of this approach worth the expense to get there," Judkins asks hypothetically.

Tang says that Millennium has partnered with chemical companies such as U.S. Borax and Rohm and Haas to work out production issues. And while the actual fuel production process is still in development, Tang says: "Eventually it will be competitive [with gasoline production costs]."

But even then, Tang believes that a car fueled by Millennium's technology is still three or more years away from becoming commercially available.