Mantra Energy Announces New Patent for its Mixed Reactant Fuel Cell Technology
July 24 2012 - 9:15AM
Marketwired
Mantra Venture Group Ltd. (OTCBB:MVTG)(FRANKFURT:5MV) today
announced that its subsidiary Mantra Energy Alternatives Ltd. has
secured a British patent for its licensed mixed reactant fuel cell
(MRFC) technology. Unlike a conventional fuel cell that uses a
complex system with expensive membranes to keep fuel and oxidant
from mixing together, Mantra's licensed MRFC technology reduces
cost and complexity by feeding the fuel and oxidant to the fuel
cell in a single stream.
As disclosed in British Patent CB2474202, of 18 July 2012 "Mixed
reactant flow-by fuel cell" the MFRC The mixed reactant fuel cell
licensed by Mantra uses a mixture of a liquid fuel and a gas
oxidant. In laboratory tests at the University of British Columbia,
this new design has shown promising results,, that bring the
technology closer to commercial viability.
Two fuel cells designs based on the MRFC concept are currently
under development.
-- The first uses a flat sandwich design in which the fuel and oxidant
(liquid/gas) mixture passes through a flow channel between flat
electrodes.
-- The second is a compact cylindrical configuration in which the
components are rolled inside a pipe to form a Swiss-roll mixed-reactant
fuel cell (SR-MRFC).
Mantra's development of an alternate fuel cell has direct
synergies with its carbon capture and recycling (CCR) technology,
the Electroreduction of Carbon Dioxide (ERC) process. The ERC
process aims to capture CO2 from industrial activities, such as
cement production, and convert it to marketable chemicals like
formate salts or formic acid. During development, the flat sandwich
MRFC has been tested with a fuel consisting of an alkaline solution
of sodium formate (NaHCO2) - a product of Mantra's ERC process.
Theoretically, a future non-fossil energy cycle could be based on
the conversion of carbon dioxide (CO2) to formate (HCO2) using the
ERC process to create fuel for MRFC power plants.
"Bringing carbon capture and utilization by ERC together with
the MRFC provides a tremendous opportunity for creating an energy
cycle based on the conversion of CO2 to liquid fuels, with energy
input from non-fossil sources," said Larry Kristof, Mantra's
president and CEO. "We are pleased with the progress we've made on
moving both technologies closer to live demonstration projects and
eventual commercialization."
Note to editors: Early SR-MRFC test results are described in the
article: Aziznia A., Oloman C., Gyenge E., "A Swiss-roll liquid-gas
mixed-reactant fuel cell", Journal of Power Sources, 212, (2012),
154-160.
About Mantra Energy Alternatives:
Mantra Energy Alternatives Ltd.is a wholly owned subsidiary of
Mantra Venture Group Ltd. Its mission is to become the world leader
in production of high value, carbon negative chemicals and fuels.
Mantra's ERC system will reduce the problem greenhouse gas CO2 and
convert it into a series of valuable chemicals, a form of carbon
capture and recycling (CCR). There are currently 27 billion metric
tons of CO2 emitted annually from fossil fuel combustion, providing
an inexhaustible supply of feedstock. The first product is formic
acid (HCOOH), which commands a market of approximately USD $1
billion.
Mantra is a public company quoted on the OTC BB under the symbol
MVTG and on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange under the symbol 5MV.
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Contacts: Sterling Communications Chris Warfield Media Contact
206-388-5758mantra@sterlingpr.com Mantra Venture Group Ltd.
604-560-1503info@mantraenergy.com www.mantraenergy.com