08.05
Readers,
Though Engadget is sceptical, it looks like Toshiba is now sitting on the front-line of portable fuel cell technology. By using methanol as the base for an electron-spitting concoction, Toshiba has promised fuel cell technology by the end of this quarter. While this is astonishing, to say the least, it’s not without its caveats.
Methanol, while it will more than likely come in cartridge form, is a liquid. 10 millileters of this stuff can cause you to go blind, and a tiny 100 millileters can tear you from this life and catapult you directly to the next. Then again, how far is that from the sulfuric acid that many batteries contain?
However, I expect the biggest concern, keeping with the recent energy and health theme, will be centered around the production of methanol. Some forms of methanol production require coal or oil. Fortunately, methanol can also be produced from methane and rust!
In fact, the early stages of this process produce, what’s known in the industry as, syn-gas which can be used as a fuel source or refined to pure methanol. As we now know, refined methanol can be used as a solid power source.
Even better, when methanol is used to produce electricity, it’s offshoot is water vapor. While this may be a small stumbling block when considering the visual of a leaky or moldy MP3 player, it’s one that I’m sure will be overcome by careful engineering.
Also, there are already eighteen methanol producing plants in the US not to mention the biomass plants that are beginning to pop up with solidified plans for extracting methane from new landfills.
Environmentally-friendly electric cars and devices, here we come. Thanks Toshiba for taking the big leap; I wish you well in dealing with the first heat wave. For the rest of us, we’ve got plenty to look forward to.
While I can’t recommend Toshiba as a buy, I do recommend looking at other companies pioneering similarly cool scientific advantages; get ‘em while they’re young!
~A