Re: Introduction

[Dave Everett <deverett@idx.com.au>]

At 06:32 PM 12-05-98 EDT, you wrote:
>In a message dated 5/11/98 12:12:01 AM SA Pacific Standard Time,
>deverett@idx.com.au writes:
>
><< It's possible the battery you are thinking of is more like the
> proton-exchange battery that uses one aluminium and one magnesium
> sacrificial rods. Filling the cell with water, fresh or sea, causes a
> chemical reaction to occur which causes electrons to flow. >>
>
>Here's another good idea.  Are there any negative environmental aspects,
i.e.,
>do they produce waste?  A consideration for emergency power supply maybe?
>Always so many good ideas floating around....

I think the waste is aluminium hydroxide and magnesium hydroxide. The
mag-hydrox is probably not such a problem, but the alum-hydrox would be, it
would find itself into the food chain. If the cell were sealed you could
clean out the sludge on shore instead of dumping it.

The biggest drawback with this cell is it is very hard to stop, like a
silver zinc battery, and of course magnesium is not cheap.