Take some hazardous waste - say, chemical residuals - and put it through a mobile Plasma Enhanced Melter (PEM) and, presto, you've got hydrogen-rich syngas, useful for all sorts of things. What things, you might want to know? Well, InEnTec Chemical, the company behing the PEM system, said in a statement (available after the jump) that the syngas can be used to make "high purity hydrogen, methanol, hydrogen/carbon monoxide ("HyCO"), and other products used by chemical and refining plants." It'll be a while before InEnTec hydrogen from hazardous waste powers your Clarity, though. InEnTec recently demonstrated the technology to "four of the world's largest chemical companies" but is not yet up and running anywhere in the U.S. The first application here looks like it will be at a Dow Corning plant (operated by Veolia Environmental Services) in Midland, Michigan. Global Plasma in Taiwan has apparently been using a PEM to make clean electricity since 2005.

Intelligent Energy (IE), known on ABG's pages as the company behind the ENV fuel-cell motorcycle, has announced that they will partner up with Suzuki Motor Corporation on the development of prototype hydrogen fuel-cell motorcycles. Future bikes produced by the partnership will run on Intelligent Energy's proprietary Proton Exchange Membrane (PEM) fuel-cells that are billed by IE as having class-leading performance in automotive applications. The PEM design utilises thin metallic bipolar plates, allowing the resultant fuel-cell to be extremely compact and easy to mass manufacture.

Intelligent Energy's Chief Executive Dr Henri Winand was quoted as saying, "As a company, we have a range of leading clean technologies based on proprietary fuel cell and fuel processing systems. We work with key partner companies to integrate our systems into their products. It is well known that Japanese companies are particularly sophisticated and knowledgeable when it comes to fuel cell-based products. We are therefore delighted to announce our new partnership with the Suzuki Motor Corporation."

Analysis: The ENV has clearly proved the viability of fuel-cell powered motorcycles but Intelligent Energy was always going to have to partner up with an existing manufacturer to bring their PEM technology to the market in a meaningful way. This partnership paves the way for a whole new class of zero-emission vehicles on our roads.

Related:

• BBC rides the ENV hydrogen bike, reports production may begin by the end of the year
• Gallery: High quality images of the Scoot - a simple electric scooter in search of a partner
• Video of the ENV fuel cell motorcycle in action

[Source: Intelligent Energy press release]

Microcell, a company that has designed PEM Microfiber Fuel Cells, has released their first 1 kW fuel cell core for automotive applications. Their design allows for a cylindrical core fuel cell, which are modular, so they can be scaled like batteries to provide larger amounts of power. These cells can be produced for relatively low cost.

Each of these tube-shaped cores can be removed for repair or replacement. Their technology uses the Proton Exchange Membrane type of fuel cell, their novel approach is the size they are able to create them at. Each microcell is around 500-1000 micrometers in diameter, and can be produced via an automated extrusion process.

Their site says that microcells are "a small step toward reducing global warming." They plan on scaling up their cells to 50kW plus for automotive purposes.

Related:

• Is $84,000 for a hydrogen fuel cell vehicle reasonable?
• Honda president expects generally available fuel cell cars by 2018
• 25% more efficient 'Portable' hydrogen fuel cell!

[Source: Microcell via Fuel Cells Works]

Researchers at the Macromodules and Interfaces Institute at Virginia Tech and Georgia Tech's School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering are working on a Department of Energy-funded project to develop more effective membrane materials for fuel cells.

Professor Carson Meredith noted that the feasibility of proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cells depends on new membranes that are more durable, less expensive and can effectively operate in low humidity.

Currently, the research team has tackled the low humidity problem with a polymer-based material while further research is focused on membrane materials that can be more easily manufactured.

[Source: Fuel Cell Today]