The Bombay Technologist

Boron : An Alternative Fuel

Kalpesh Mahajan

T. Vinod Sarma

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Abstract

Present power crisis, the increasing environmental constraints and the depletion of fossil fuels at an alarming rate has given great momentum to the research in the field of alternative fuels. The following paper suggests one of the options in the race of sustainable energy sources - Boron. Boron is metalloid having atomic number 5. Boron was seen as a potential fuel in I950's but the lack of an great breakthrough resulted in the diversion of the research funds to other options. The case for boron as fuel begins with a safety/ advantage. Although very combustible, it also is very hard to light. .It has high energy density i.e. energy per unit pound and especially per unit gallon. Boron also has an advantage that in spite of energy being extracted from oxidation it does not produce any harmful gasses and combustion is purely emission free. Boron produces solid boria, which is solid below 200"C as a combustion product that can be recycled back to get the fuel. This would not only help in decreasing the environmental strain but will also lessen the worries of limited sources of fuel. The passivity of boron also gives rise to an advantage in Storage of fuel. One of the problems in using boron as the fuel is need of high purity oxygen for combustion. The paper gives a brief account of working of boron economy - extraction of boron, its potential sources, boron combustion engine considerations, possible methods of recycling. The paper also reviews the work done in the development of boron as fuel, the direction and momentum of research.