Abstract
Ferrous iron oxides, present in abundant minerals such as olivines, can be oxidized to ferric iron oxide to produce more energy per unit oxygen than carbon and hydrogen. These “geofuels” are essentially inexhaustible. Energy might be extracted from geofuels by using the ferrous iron oxide to reduce fluids for use in a fuel cell. Water can be reduced by geofuels, producing hydrogen fuel. Ferrous iron oxide containing rocks are abundant, but diluted with inert oxides. Exploiting them requires new technologies to extract the energy and handle the oxidized mineral residues.
Highlights
Oxidation-reduction reactions convert chemically stored energy into useful heat or work, by the reaction of a chemically reduced substance with a chemically oxidized substance
Burning coal burdens the atmosphere by releasing fossil carbon that had been accumulated over millions of years as carbon dioxide greenhouse gas
The concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere has risen in recent decades due to the difference between the rate at which CO2 is released and the ability of the natural carbon dioxide cycle to remove it from the atmosphere
Summary
Oxidation-reduction (redox) reactions convert chemically stored energy into useful heat or work, by the reaction of a chemically reduced substance with a chemically oxidized substance (a redox pair). Much of the chemically reduced substances involve compounds of ferrous iron oxide Fe(II)O, combined as rock-forming minerals As these reduced compounds could be part of a useful redox pair, we might consider them to be geochemical energy resources, or “geofuels” to react with oxygen. If it were possible to extract useful energy from the difference in the redox potential of the reduced rocks and the oxidizing air, we potentially could exploit a massive energy resource that does not involve fossil carbon. Confronted with the well-known difficulties of coal, and attracted by the great abundance of geofuels, it is worthwhile to consider the possibilities This paper explores this concept, and considers the technologies that may be useful to obtain heat or work by oxidation of geo-fuels
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
