T. Marsagisgvili, M. Machavariani, G. Tatishvili
R. Agladze Institute of Inorganic Chemistry and Electrochemistry
M. Tsatsanashvili
Gelati Academy of Science

June 2009

More than thirty years ago International Conference THEME was held in Miami where it was proposed, that coordination of all countries is necessary for development of ecologically pure energy.

Conferences on this question gradually have accepted  regular character, they are held in many countries and one of the main directions for development of ecologically pure energy is elaboration of hydrogen energy. The greatest progress in this sphere has achieved Iceland. Works on complete withdrawal of organic fuel during 40 years are carried out in this country. Sources of electric power are hydropower plants and thermal plants with application of hot water of geyser. Instead of organic fuel is used hydrogen, obtained mainly by water electrolysis. Human know-how on application of hydrogen as fuel and most actual problems of ecology founds to consider, that development of hydrogen energy first of all must be orientated on implementation of it in transport.

Introduction

Application of hydrogen as a fuel for transport in near future may become a solution of daunting ecological problem of big towns all over the world - environmental pollution, first of all urban-industrial environment. For use of hydrogen as fuel for transport, it is necessary to have the source of sufficiently cheap electricity and acceptable technology of production, transportation and storage of hydrogen. Georgia has high potential of cheap electricity production (hydro, solar, windy, thermal, energy resources of the Black Sea etc.), which makes this region perspective for development of hydrogen energy.

Using hydrogen as a fuel for transport in the nearest future may prove a solution for the most acute ecological problem of large cities all over the world - pollution of the environment, air pollution in the first place. A source of cheap electricity is needed for producing hydrogen, cheap enough to be used as fuel and acceptable technology of production, transportation and storage of hydrogen.

Taking into account a huge energy potential for reception of cheap electrical energy in Georgia (hydro, solar, wind, thermal, and power resources of the Black Sea etc.) this region can be very perspective for development of hydrogen energy [1-13].

Production of Hydrogen

The development of electrical power generation in Georgia will be based on cheap electricity generated by hydro power plants. At present Georgia is capable of producing of tens of thousands tons of hydrogen per year by using excess cheap electricity generated by hydro plants during the night hours. Reception of 1 m3 hydrogen of 0.999 purity requires no more than 4.2 kWh of electric power. As weight of 1m3 hydrogen is approximately 89g, for reception of 1 kg of hydrogen is required 47.2 kWh of electric power.

If hydrogen of higher purity is required, then for reception of 1m3 hydrogen of 0.99999 purity 4.7 kWh electric power is required and for production of 1 kg hydrogen approximately 50.6 kWh electric power is required. Thereby, approximately 20 000 tons of hydrogen may be obtained if 1 billion kWh will be consumed, for example, during one year on the first stage. It is that quantity of hydrogen, which may be presented to market as commercial output. This quantity of hydrogen is enough at its use as additive to fuel (petrol or diesel fuel) for internal combustion engine. Besides hydrogen oxygen will be also obtained during water electrolysis. About 160 000 tons of oxygen will be obtained at production volume, which can be planned today for the first stage in Georgia. The best use of this oxygen is production of commodity hydrogen from brown coal. Inventory of such coals in Georgia consists 300000000 tons.

One of the actual tasks of hydrogen energy is creation of data base of potential resources for production of cheap hydrogen. Brown coals of Georgia are of high interest in this regard. Raw materials for production of hydrogen may become also gas hydrates in the bottom of the Black Sea and mixture of hydrogen with methane and hydrogen sulfide near it’s emission from the bottom into the water, where gas concentration will be high enough for its commercial production and processing.

The other important task of hydrogen energy is development or selection of ecologically pure, economically reasonable technologies for reception of hydrogen from above mentioned forms of the raw materials (plasmochemistry, thermochemistry, hydrolysis, etc.). Subject to the form of the raw material it is necessary to select corresponding technology and realize additional researches on adaptation of selected technology to concrete production.