{
    "title": "Catalyst for Production of Hydrogen from Ethanol",
    "inventor_name": "Umit Ozkan",
    "publication_year": 2008,
    "device_name": "Cerium oxide-calcium-cobalt catalyst",
    "goal": "Efficiently convert ethanol and other biofuels into hydrogen at low temperature using inexpensive, precious-metal-free materials.",
    "problem_addressed": "High cost and scarcity of precious-metal catalysts and the need for high-temperature processes for hydrogen production from biofuels.",
    "concept_summary": "A dark-gray powder catalyst composed of cerium oxide granules mixed with calcium and coated with cobalt particles. The catalyst promotes oxygen-ion transport, preventing coking and enabling 90 % hydrogen yield from ethanol at ~350  deg C (660  deg F). The process can be deployed at gas stations for on-site hydrogen generation.",
    "detailed_description": null,
    "category": "Hydrogen & Alternative Fuels",
    "principles": [
        "Catalysis",
        "Redox chemistry",
        "Oxygen-ion conductivity",
        "Low-temperature steam reforming"
    ],
    "scientific_domains": [
        "Chemical Engineering",
        "Materials Science",
        "Energy"
    ],
    "mechanisms_of_action": [
        "Ethanol steam reforming over a mixed-oxide catalyst",
        "Catalytic oxidation of carbon fragments (coking) via oxygen ion migration",
        "Hydrogen-rich gas generation and downstream purification"
    ],
    "materials": [
        "Cerium oxide",
        "Calcium",
        "Cobalt"
    ],
    "energy_sources": [
        "Ethanol (biofuel)",
        "Heat (thermal energy)"
    ],
    "inputs": [
        "Ethanol",
        "Heat"
    ],
    "outputs": [
        "Hydrogen gas",
        "Carbon dioxide",
        "Carbon monoxide",
        "Methane"
    ],
    "claimed_performance": "90 % hydrogen yield at 660  deg F (~=350  deg C) with a low-cost catalyst (~$9 kg^-^1).",
    "experimental_evidence": "Laboratory tests reported 90 % hydrogen efficiency from ethanol at ~350  deg C; the catalyst remained active without significant coking.",
    "replication_status": null,
    "keywords": [
        "Hydrogen production",
        "Biofuels",
        "Catalyst",
        "Cerium oxide",
        "Cobalt",
        "Low-temperature reforming"
    ],
    "related_technologies": [
        "Steam reforming",
        "Catalytic cracking",
        "Distributed hydrogen generation"
    ],
    "controversy_level": "low",
    "confidence_score": 0.92,
    "practicability_score": 0.71,
    "fringe_score": 0.15,
    "evidence_strength": 0.63,
    "risk_score": 0.18,
    "trl_estimate": 5,
    "source_urls": [
        "http://www.chbmeng.ohio-state.edu/people/ozkan.html",
        "http://researchnews.osu.edu/archive/biohydro.htm",
        "http://www.technologynewsdaily.com/node/10180",
        "http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2008/aug/21/biofuels.travelandtransport",
        "http://www.greencarcongress.com/2008/08/new-low-cost-no.html"
    ],
    "organizations": [
        "Ohio State University"
    ],
    "applications": [
        "Hydrogen fueling stations",
        "Distributed on-site hydrogen production",
        "Fuel-cell vehicles"
    ],
    "limitations": [
        "Long-term catalyst stability not yet proven",
        "Heat management required for continuous operation",
        "Scale-up from laboratory to industrial scale"
    ],
    "open_questions": [
        "How does the catalyst perform over extended cycles?",
        "What is the economic viability at commercial scale?",
        "Can the same catalyst be applied to a broader range of biofuels?"
    ],
    "red_flags": [],
    "evidence_quotes": [
        "A new catalyst makes hydrogen from ethanol with 90 percent yield, at a workable temperature, and using inexpensive ingredients.",
        "Our catalyst costs around $9 a kilogram, far cheaper than precious-metal catalysts.",
        "It produces hydrogen with 90 percent efficiency at 660 degrees Fahrenheit (around 350 degrees Celsius) - a low temperature by industrial standards.",
        "The combination of metals - cerium oxide and calcium - solved the coking problem because it promoted the movement of oxygen ions inside the catalyst."
    ]
}