Radio frequencies help burn salt water

[GaryC 7]

Mon Sep 10, 5:35 PM ET

ERIE, Pa. - An Erie cancer researcher has found a way to burn salt water, a novel invention that is being touted by one chemist as the "most remarkable" water science discovery in a century.

John Kanzius happened upon the discovery accidentally when he tried to desalinate seawater with a radio-frequency generator he developed to treat cancer. He discovered that as long as the salt water was exposed to the radio frequencies, it would burn.

The discovery has scientists excited by the prospect of using salt water, the most abundant resource on earth, as a fuel.

Rustum Roy, a Penn State University chemist, has held demonstrations at his State College lab to confirm his own observations.

The radio frequencies act to weaken the bonds between the elements that make up salt water, releasing the hydrogen, Roy said. Once ignited, the hydrogen will burn as long as it is exposed to the frequencies, he said.

The discovery is "the most remarkable in water science in 100 years," Roy said.

"This is the most abundant element in the world. It is everywhere," Roy said. "Seeing it burn gives me the chills."

Roy will meet this week with officials from the Department of Energy and the Department of Defense to try to obtain research funding.

The scientists want to find out whether the energy output from the burning hydrogen — which reached a heat of more than 3,000 degrees Fahrenheit — would be enough to power a car or other heavy machinery.

"We will get our ideas together and check this out and see where it leads," Roy said. "The potential is huge."

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070910/ap_on_...urning_seawater

[Ban Hammer 14,275]

i was just about to post this so i could watch steven drool all over the thread.

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

Pretty cool - but I'm wondering where the 'salt' part fits into the chemical reaction. Hydrogen is in the water itself, not the salt dissolved in it.

[Caladan 19]

Pretty cool - but I'm wondering where the 'salt' part fits into the chemical reaction. Hydrogen is in the water itself, not the salt dissolved in it.

Conductivity of the radio frequencies, maybe?

[GaryC 7]

Pretty cool - but I'm wondering where the 'salt' part fits into the chemical reaction. Hydrogen is in the water itself, not the salt dissolved in it.

Dunno. But if it works can you imagine how this is going to change things? No more oil, coal or any other fossil fuels!! Free energy for everyone!

[Heracles 417]

That could also be used to lower rising sea levels..

Just goes to show the engineering and science can solve a lot of problems; if money is allocated to research..

Edited September 11, 2007 by Boo-Yah!

[Nanusia & Lukaszek 0]

Radio frequencies have been used in medicine for a while. Its actually called "shockwave" therapy thats used to break up kidney stones, also used in healing foot pain like plantar fascitis.

[Heracles 417]

It is also how a microwave works to cook food.

[one...two...tree 2,762]

i was just about to post this so i could watch steven drool all over the thread.

Don't get too excited yet...we don't know what would be the impact could be. Sounds interesting though.

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

Pretty cool - but I'm wondering where the 'salt' part fits into the chemical reaction. Hydrogen is in the water itself, not the salt dissolved in it.

Conductivity of the radio frequencies, maybe?

Dunno - but something about the characteristics of dissolved sodium chloride must act as a catalyst to separate the hydrogen atoms from the H20 Molecules. Both sodium and chlorine are both highly reactive elements - but separately rather than together. On its own NACL is more or less inert if I remember my chemistry correctly.

[Jenn! 918]

[Jasman0717 9]

I was just reading this on Yahoo

[one...two...tree 2,762]

Holy cow! If this pans...my God! Somebody better put some body guards around that guy...the Big Oil is gonna want him dead.

[Jasman0717 9]

The discovery has scientists excited by the prospect of using salt water, the most abundant resource on earth, as a fuel.

Of course man will figure a way to burn it all up in a few years

[one...two...tree 2,762]

I'm wondering how much energy is required to create enough radio frequency to ignite the salt water? I hope this pans out, but I'm leaning towards skepticism until I read what scientists have to say about this.