Deuterium as the Future Energy Source and Philippines as the Largest Producer of Deuterium

Without energy, global progress would seize to expand, and the quest for better society can only be achieved with sustainable energy, however with the dilemma of the fossil fuel reserves and the few choices that could replace fossil fuel energy output, the world cannot afford not to develop nuclear fusion technology particularly with the use of Deuterium.

I. Introduction II. What is Deuterium? A. Definition B. History C. Importance and Uses III. Sources D. Deuterium Mining IV. Effects E. Man and; F. Economy

Introduction:

“The only permanent in this world is change” and the dependence of mankind to fossil fuels as source of energy is about to end soon. Studies show that there are only 1,000 billion barrels of reserve petroleum left in the world today. With the world's annual consumption of 28.6 billion barrels, all reserve oil will be fully used up 35 years from now. World energy requirements will have to be shifted then to natural gas which still has 5,457 trillion cubic feet in reserve (Halog). But this particular source is still subject to depletion. Thus, Hydrogen, which has an abundant and unlimited source in Deuterium, can be or will be the future energy reserve.

This research includes some of the details about the said element. And will also give the readers knowledge and background about the existence of what might be the possible energy source of the future, Deuterium, and how it will affect Philippines in particular.

REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE AND STUDIES
This chapter presents various materials found to be relevant in the study. The materials are the result of exploring sources of literature and studies that have shed light to the problem under study.

What is Deuterium?

According to Helmenstine (2001), Deuterium comes from the Greek word deuteros, which means "second". This is in reference to the two particles, a proton and a neutron, which make up the nucleus of a deuterium atom. It is a colorless, odorless, nontoxic, diatomic, flammable gas. Deuterium gas also known as heavy hydrogen is a heavier and stable isotope of ordinary hydrogen. It is widely known worldwide as "Fuel of the Future".

It was first discovered and isolated in 1932 by an American chemist Harold Urey, deuterium or heavy water is composed of two isotopes of hydrogen and an oxygen atom, with a chemical formula of D20 or H30. With more hydrogen molecules than ordinary water, it is much heavier than water and even saltwater; causing it to naturally sink farther into deep ocean trenches (Dr. Calo, 2001). From the words of Halog (2004), the amazing thing about deuterium is that at room temperatures or normal atmospheric pressure, deuterium atoms are electrolyzed naturally out of water dispelling hydrogen gas. This natural phenomenal process needs no expensive electric power-consuming electrolysis to artificially separate hydrogen from oxygen in ordinary water.

History of Deuterium

Deuterium was first detected spectroscopically in late 1932 by Harold Urey, a chemist at Columbia University. Urey’s collaborator, Ferdinand Brickwedde, distilled five liters of cryogenically produced liquid hydrogen to 1 mL of liquid, using the low- temperature physics laboratory that had recently been established at the National Bureau of Standards in Washington, D.C. (now the National Institute of Standards and Technology). The technique had previously been used to isolate heavy isotopes of neon. The cryogenic boiloff technique concentrated the fraction of the mass-2 isotope of hydrogen to a degree that made its spectroscopic identification unambiguous. (http//:deuteriumproject.blogspot.com/, Author: Dr. Rivera, 8/10/2004)

Importance and Uses of Deuterium

Deuterium gas is used in nuclear power, fusion power, deuterated optical fibers, deuterated lubricants, lasers, light bulbs, R & D laboratories and annealing semiconductor rim.

This element has primarily two uses, as a tracer in research and in thermonuclear fusion reactions. A tracer is any atom or group of atoms whose participation in a physical, chemical, or biological reaction can be easily observed. Radioactive isotopes are perhaps the most familiar kind of tracer. They can be tracked in various types of changes because of the radiation they emit.

Also it is an effective tracer because of its mass. When it replaces protium in a compound, its presence can easily be detected because it weights twice as much as a protium atom. Also, as mentioned above, the bonds formed by deuterium with other atoms are slightly different from those formed by protium with other atoms. Thus, it is often possible to figure out what detailed changes take place at various stages of a chemical reaction using deuterium as a tracer (Cluemen, 2002).

According to Halog (2004), at present, deuterium is used in the production of hydrogen (Li-Hy) fuel now used in Canada, America, Germany and some parts of Sweden to provide fuel for cars, trucks, jet planes, including solid hydrogen for space craft’s Challenger & Columbia".

Sources of Deuterium

The Philippines was identified to hold the greatest amount of deuterium deposit in the World somewhere in the area known as Mindanao Trench, the part of the Pacific Ocean just offs the shores of Surigao Island. Twenty years ago, a certain Dr. Nona Calo from Butuan City in Mindanao, hypothesized that a very large deposit of deuterium can be found in the Philippine Deep, located off the waters of Surigao (Clueman, 2002 ). It was said by Halog (2004) that working at the Sustainable Technology Office of the Institute for Chemical Process and Environmental Technology, National Research Council of Canada in Ottawa, Canada, "the Philippine Trench, the largest in the world, is 868 miles long, 52 miles at the widest point and 2 miles at the deepest point which is 10.057 kilometers below sea level. Deuterium can be obtained from this depth of more than 7 kilometers below sea level under 10,000 psi of ocean pressure, replenished by nature 24 hours a day from the Central America across the vast Pacific Ocean.

Deuterium also known as the “White Gold in the Philippines” is most prevalent in an area more widely known in the whole world as the Philippine Deep which is located here in Surigao (Clueman, 2002).

Deuterium Mining

According to Halog (2004),“what hasn't been done before does not mean that it cannot be done”. Deuterium mining is practically just pumping water from the ocean bottom. The present technology in offshore oil production is up to depths of 6.4 kilometers from the sea level, and they still have to drill through the ocean bottom to get to the oil, hundreds of meters below the sea floor. Deuterium, the target element, is located just between 7 to 10 kilometers from the sea surface and needs no further drilling. And since deuterium naturally electrolyzes when the 10,000 psi ocean pressure is gradually removed through the pumping process and replaced by lower atmospheric pressure, two upper pipes will then collect segregated by-products of deuterium which are pure liquid water and gaseous hydrogen. The dispelled hydrogen gas can then be collected, compressed and stored as liquid hydrogen. The pipeline itself shall serve as the refinery of deuterium to produce hydrogen.

Oil mining may actually be more laborious, costly and dangerous in comparison to deuterium mining, and oil refining more expensive than the processes involved in deuterium and Li-Hy production. With regards to expertise, Filipino engineers and technicians at PNOC have proven and even exported their skills to Japan in constructing geothermal plants, installation of which is comparatively more complicated and hazardous.

The tidal conditions in the Philippine Trench have to be included in the research and studied all year around. . Petroleum production in the North Sea, located between the Isles of Britain and Norway, goes uninterrupted despite the perennial turbulences in its waters and harsh climatic condition in the area ranging from icy cold to ordinary cold temperatures. Pacific climate and condition is temperate by comparison. Scores of oil rigs in the North Sea are 170 to 200 miles from the nearest port, compared to a possible site on the Philippine Trench which is only 100 miles from Surigao City and 120 miles from Tacloban City. If workers in the North Sea oil rigs need to work only half the time (two weeks work; two weeks rest) all year round due to the extreme and dangerous working conditions in the area, working in deuterium rigs in the Pacific is just like taking a vacation in some Hawaiian islands.

Effects of Deuterium

The use of deuterium will yield lots of effects especially to man and the economy. This effects may either be bad or good depends on how mankind exploit the use of deuterium.

Man

Dr. Halog (2004) said that once Deuterium exploration and extraction succeed, public works, private construction, economic and financial booms are expected to happen in the Philippines in the same manner as those which happened in the Middle East and financial centers of the world from 1974 to 1984, with everybody earning their respective comfortable livelihood, while pricing basic prime necessities at reasonable and affordable levels. (PNA/Ben Serrano)

“At the land survey, preperations and explorationalone, we expect hundreds of Surigaonons to be employed by the conglomerate”, the Surigao del Norte solon said.

Economy

Though deuterium mining has never been done before, even in highly developed first world countries and the possible costs might be staggering, research on this opportunity is still worth investing in, considering the high stakes involved. This program could propel the Philippines as the biggest hydrogen fuel (Li-Hy) producer in the world, and become the only fuel producer 40 to 50 years from now in an oil-depleted world economy. Utilizing the expertise of the Philippine National Oil Corporation (PNOC) through one of its departments which focuses on indigenous and non-traditional fuel sources, the government can embark on a deuterium research program and hydrogen (Li-Hy) production project with ease as far as project organization and administration is concerned.

If the Philippines can tap this energy source, we can have a much better future and economic position than the rest of the world including the United States of America. Should we, as a nation, will have reached this point in our history; Philippines can then be described as the fabled Promised Land ..., a land flowing with milk and honey.

The United States of America once dreamed of sending a man to the moon. Now it is history. What she did to pursue that dream made her world's most technologically advanced and economically prosperous nation. This could happen to the Philippines (Dr. Halog, 2004).

Conclusion

The hours of researches and finding solutions have been done to look for replacement and answers on energy crisis that leads to the discovery of deuterium and its value in unfolding this dilemma.

In line with this, the utilization of deuterium found in the Philippine Deep near the island of Surigao can soon resolve not only the energy crisis due to the depleting supply of petroleum but also the survival of the economy of the country.

Hence, Deuterium mining has not been done before, that’s why Filipino people must be aware of what will be the effect of this, if ever it will not be successful.