Engineuity Aluminum or Magnesium Wire System

Engineuity R&D a startup from Ashkelon, Israel announced a "Breakthrough in Alternative Fuel". From the write-up at Fuel Cell Works:

Using a light metal wire (such as: Aluminium, Magnesium), water and a special conversion unit, the company has succeeded to produce a continuous flow of hydrogen and steam under full pressure, temperature and power control.


How original! Who would have thought of using Aluminum wire to make Hydrogen? Besides Francois P. Cornish. And who would have thought of using Aluminum and Magnesium? Besides Hydrogenerate.

The volume required for containing the metal wire is similar to the volume required for petrol; however its weight will be 3 times greater. These values are significantly preferred over those associated with other alternative fuel solutions. The cost of this new fuel will be comparable with petroleum fuels at present day prices.


Gasoline must be darn expensive in Ashkelon. The reaction Mg(s) + 2H2O(g) Mg(OH)2(aq) + H2(g) yields one mole of H2 per mole of Mg. One gallon of gasoline is 130.88 mJ, and a mole of H2 is 285.83 kJ, so to replace a gallon of gas would require 457.89 moles of Mg. Multiplying by its atomic weight of 24.3050 we can see that's 11.129 kg of Mg. A gallon of gasoline is 2.791 kg, so the equivalent Mg weight 3.988 times as much, which in Ashkelon rounds to 3. And let's forget the weight of the ash tank. Mg costs in the neighborhood of $2 per kg. So gasoline must cost more than $20 per gallon in Ashkelon.

I should add that I intentionally ignored what Hydrogenerate called "the valuable by-product", Mg(OH)2. Recycling that isn't going to change the cost much.