@aspvenom,
i BH4 and (assocaitd Alkali Borohydride) IMHO, will remain a "Toy", much as calcium carbide (which produces ethane gas with water)
Production of Li Borohydride is
1 Its expensive to make, much moreso than simple thermal cracking of petroleum or the production of a complex ester(diesel uel) by a very simoe reaction with alcohols, bases and agitation (it also produces a usefuk by-product, glycerine)
2 Itwould require a HUUUGE changeover in infrastructure to car and truck manufacture and fuel delivery, manufacture AND storage (borohydrides and all metal hydrides need to be kept VERY dry so as not to take on explosive "water of hydration" reactions unexpectedlly. LiHB4 is many times more explosive than calcium carbide that we, as kids, used to blow up tin cans by the ethane reaction.
3 Borane, (a substance involved in a very complex module of prep
and storge for most hydrides) is quite toxic and we usually interact
this with a Titanium Oxide exchange column. (Much of my career has been in the development of many forms of Ti ores and preps)
LiBH4 is already a great neutron grabber for the nuke industry. I dont see its use in fuels beyond some interests in funding at Uni labs to produce chem e grad students.
Natural gas/propane/ and clean diesel make a lot more interim sense for a "bridge fuel" for the next 50 to 100 years.
Im a scientist too , but, Im an applied scientist whose terminal degree has been the melding of chemistry and mining geology. Ive been much " contaminated" by my engineering profession colleagues . Its taken a career to beat into my head that its often necessary to look at all the "life cycles" of the products and chemicals involved.
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Youre probably too young to recall the NUCEAR AIRPLANE. This actually got a lot of play time when I was a kid and I thought"What a neat idea" A nuclear reactor poering a plane or rocket. Then it sunk into our collective heads A NULEAR REACTOR IN THE SKY FLYING OVER A CITY NEAR YOU
I think there may be a lot more interest in production of exotic nuke fuels for "portble nuke generators" useable for safer nuke ships, safe reacors for urban and rural village uses in third world and in the developed world. Remember the Th reactors of the 80'ss? I think they have a place in the terror laced 21st century.
They dont produce fissionable material like a breeder reactor and are primarily gamma emitters and thye have a more reasonable half life to deal with .
Anyway, nuke reactions are waay more energy dense than gasoline or metal hydrides any day