Researchers at Ener1 Inc. (Fort Lauderdale, FL), a developer of lithium batteries and fuel cells, reported that eight million tons of orange peel waste that mostly goes to cattle feed could be used to create power. Ener1 is working on a $1.1 million project to convert hydrogen-rich gas released from citrus peels into methanol to power fuel cells capable of providing about 75% of the power at an interstate rest stop in Florida.
The goal is to create "a road show" for the state's millions of tourists and Florida drivers by demonstrating the potential of hydrogen energy, while at the same time using a waste product that the Florida citrus industry for years has struggled to find ways to dispose of, other than as cattle cuisine. The Florida Hydrogen Initiative Inc. gave Ener1 a $550,000 grant to help complete the project by next year.
So far, Ener1 researchers have created 1 kW and 150 W fuel cell prototypes. The company hopes to have a 10 kW fuel cell completed over the next 18 months for the rest stop. If all goes according to plan, five fuel cells, each the size of three car batteries, will be used at the rest stop. The methanol will be extracted from the orange peels through a distillation process and stored in an offsite tank. The fuel cells will be resupplied with methanol every two or three days.
