Fritz

Hydrogen Fuel Cell Problems

by Fritz on August 8, 2008 · 0 comments

Hydrogen fuel as an alternative to patroleum does have its drawbacks.

The alternative fuel lobby will say that using hydrogen fuel cells to power your vehicle is definitely the way to go, but what about the disadvantages? They give us all the information about the advantages to switching to hydrogen fuel cells, but they gloss over the disadvantages. The truth is that while hydrogen fuel cells are highly advantageous, but they also have some significant disadvantages.

People who have studied hydrogen fuel cells say that there are three main disadvantages to using hydrogen as a fuel source.

1. The low density. A hydrogen fuel tank will have three times the size of a gasoline tank. Also it must be insulated, and this will add to its bulk. This seems entirely bearable.

2. Safety problems. Liquid hydrogen is cold enough to freeze air, and accidents have occurred from pressure build-up following plugged valves. Some say these problems can’t be overcome, but many side with those who think they can be overcome.

In a collision the hydrogen tank may rupture, as can a gasoline tank. Limited accident experience suggests that the danger is somewhat less with hydrogen than with gasoline, because the hydrogen dissipates rapidly. The release of hydrogen into a confined space like a garage risks an explosion.

3. Since the insulation can’t be perfect, the hydrogen will gradually evaporate, typically 1.7 percent per day. This is too fast for a car to sit for months between uses. A tank of compressed hydrogen holding enough to get to a hydrogen station would solve this.

If the engine is flexible enough to burn gasoline as well as hydrogen, a half gallon gasoline tank would suffice. Some automobile companies like BMW, have experimented with vehicles powered by liquid hydrogen. However, hydrogen cannot come into common use until the political obstacles to nuclear expansion are overcome or the technological obstacles to large scale solar energy are overcome.

It is unlikely to be used as long as gasoline remains so cheap – in other words as long as oil remains cheap and fear of global warming does not prevent its use. Hydrogen enthusiasts will just have to wait if this persists.

There’s really no doubt that using hydrogen fuel cells as an alternative fuel can be very advantageous both for the environment as well as for America in general by reducing our dependence on foreign oil. But there still are significant disadvantages that must be overcome before we can realize the real benefits of using hydrogen fuel cells as our main source of energy to power our vehicles.

Eco Friendly And Safe Wall Paints

by Fritz on October 17, 2007 · 0 comments

Buying paint for the interior of one’s home should be a task not taken lightly. We found this out first hand when purchasing paint for our newborn son’s bedroom. We were very excited to be expecting our first baby and took on the task of “baby-proofing” our home. One of the first rooms that we started with was the beautiful nursery that we had in mind for him. We purchased all of the safety measures needed such as outlet covers, drawer keepers, and knob covers. What we didn’t think of was the idea of needing to still be thinking “safety” in choosing a paint color for his bedroom, and it wasn’t the color we needed to be so worried about. No, sadly it was the paint itself.

In searching through paint colors I began to notice that some companies had claims such as “Low VOC”, “Kid-Friendly” and “Environmentally Friendly”. Now I had never been one to be totally green, but these labels got me thinking about our paint. I looked into it a bit further and found out that interior paints release “Volatile Organic Compounds”, (otherwise known as VOC), into your home. These VOC’s are produced by a concoction of chemicals and components in the paint. Paint itself contains three basic things: pigment for color and hiding powder, a binding agent to hold it to the surface being painted, and a carrier to keep it all in liquid form. Now these three things in and of themselves are not the issue, but the chemicals that are used to perform each basic thing mix together and then release VOC’s into the air we breathe. Once emitted into the air, these compounds can actually stick around for approximately one month to many years after they are applied. The problem with this is that VOC’s can produce a number of health problems and risks. According to the American Lung Association conditions such as lung and breathing problems, eye and skin irritation, headaches, dizziness, memory impairment, and even cancer can occur.

After coming across this information we quickly realized that just popping into Home Depot and grabbing a gallon of our favorite color for our son’s room was not in any way a good idea. Who would want to expose their precious new baby boy to such toxins! We discovered instead that there are many “Eco-Friendly” paint choices made especially with low VOC’s that we could choose from. We also discovered alternative paint choices such as Ecological Paint (a water-based paint) and Milk Paint (a milk-based paint). These alternative paints, especially the Ecological Paint and the Milk Paint, do not contain any carcinogens nor emit any toxins into the air. Now that we are thinking safety first with our paint as well as our household gadgets, we will be choosing an alternative paint for our sweet baby boy’s room. We are not only excited to be bringing our newborn home, but we are overjoyed that we will be bringing him to a toxic free home!

Safe Cleaning Products For Your Home

by Fritz on October 17, 2006 · 0 comments

Cleaning your home doesn’t have to be a dirty job! By this I mean that the idea of cleaning your home is that your home is supposed to be “clean” afterwards. There is simply no point whatsoever in cleaning your home and having it remain dirty. That is simply hours of wasted time, energy, and money. Just ask any homemaker and they will let you know right away! The point of clean by the definition in Webster’s Dictionary is “free from dirt or pollution”. So when one grabs for the everyday cleaning product in the grocery aisle and takes it home to clean, is the house truly “clean” as we see here defined by Webster? Sadly, the answer is no!

Close your eyes for a moment and think of what the smell of clean is to you? Does the thought of household bleach pop into mind or how about the fresh scent of pine? If these scents help define clean in your mind then you know that a home with those scents is not truly “clean”! By definition the idea of clean is to be free of pollution! If you have ever been the one to walk into a newly cleaned bathroom only to smell the heavy scent of bleach, then you have also inhaled pollution! How is this possible? Cleaning products themselves contain toxic chemicals that you the user actually fill the air with when you use them! Not only that, you also send those same pollutant chemicals right down the drain and into our lakes, rivers, and oceans. I mean seriously, where do you think that all water ends up?

So, what is the solution you ask then? In purchasing cleaning products for your home or work place the first thing to think about is reading the label! The first warning sign of a pollutant material is if there is a label on it marking that it is dangerous, hazardous to health, toxic, or poisonous. If the product is not carrying one such label then it is pretty safe to assume that it is what we call “Eco-Friendly”, meaning that this product is friendly to the environment in which we live and work. Eco-Friendly products are a wonderful and permanent solution to further pollution of our homes and environment.

So how do we know what is an Eco-Friendly product? A good clue right off the bat that a product is Eco-Friendly is if it is bio-degradable. Bio-degradable means that when the product is used and washed down the drain it will not harm the environment because it breaks down naturally. Another clue that a product is Eco-Friendly is if the label reads that it is “non-toxic”. This labeling means that the product inside carries no toxins and therefore will not release any into the air or water when used.

If you are one not prone to reading labels there are many companies now that are producing “Eco-Friendly” cleaning products for your purchase. A few such companies are Shaklee, Seventh Generation, and Melaleuca make products that work very well for cleaning just about anything you can throw their way. Also, you might consider using non-toxic and bio-degradable products that you don’t even realize you have to clean with at home! Some such products are lemon juice, baking soda, vinegar, and even tea tree oil. These are common household products that can be used to accomplish an environment in your home or work that is truly “free from dirt and pollution”, otherwise known as CLEAN!


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