It is interesting how new technology crops up each day telling us that it is the way to go in to the future. While many of these might be worth taking a look at, I firmly believe that this is absolutely no way of moving forward. If I have learnt anything from my few chemistry classes, it is that using Sulphur as a component in fuels can never be good for the environment and is indeed never a long term solution. Here we have a vehicle that claims to be the world’s first sulphur powered truck. Now let us see if it indeed is worth something.
The concept behind the design of the truck is very simple. Rather, the concept behind the design of the driving force of this truck is rather simple. It is no different than the electrolytic batteries that one might use in an electric vehicle. It is too tedious and is painstakingly complex for an ordinary man to go through. Moreover, I’m not too keen on working with Sulphur, Aluminum, Carbon (as Graphite) and that Sodium Hydroxide solution. Sure it produces Hydrogen and that means clean exhaust. But clean exhaust without a clean process is almost useless.
While gaseous emissions might be eliminated, liquid waste remains in tons. Moreover, the efficiency of the process is too little to gain anything substantially from it. Working with Sulphur is nobody’s dream, trust me on that. Being raised in labs by parents who worked in them long enough, I know that not too many were too keen on it. While I hate to shoot the idea down so early, the whole concept shoots itself in the foot. Neither is it clean, nor is it efficient. This is one idea that is sure to fade away quietly and it should too. The only true way to use fuel cells is by the electrolysis of water. That is the simplest and best way possible to generate Hydrogen. Not to mention how eco-friendly it is.
