13 May 2009
Scientists in Halton are on their way to making a new type of fuel cell that is really cheap to make and very reliable.
A fuel cell combines hydrogen and oxygen which react to make electricity without any pollution (the only waste product is water!) and may one day replace the petrol of diesel engines found in most cars today. They could even help to power your mobile phone.
The company Acal Energy, which is at the Heath Business & Technical Park in Runcorn, has made a prototype that replaces an expensive metal catalyst (something that speeds up a chemical reaction) with a cheap liquid catalyst that also makes the fuel cell last longer.
Their latest design has made continuous power for 6 weeks and they hope to reach 30 weeks with their next test. We'll keep you posted with how they're getting on!