HydroInfra: Scam! Investment Honeypot for Those Who Also Wanted To Ban DiHydrogen Monoxide
I got an email today from some random Gmail account asking me to write about HyrdoInfra. OK. The email begins: "HydroInfra Technologies (HIT) is a Stockholm based clean tech company that has developed an innovative approach to neutralizing carbon fuel emissions from power plants and other polluting industries that burn fossil fuels."
Does it eliminate CO2? NOx? Particulates? SOx? I actually was at the bottom of my inbox for once so I went to the site. I went to this applications page. Apparently, it eliminates the "toxic cocktail" of pollutants that include all the ones I mentioned plus mercury and heavy metals. Wow! That is some stuff.
Their key product is a process for making something they call "HyrdroAtomic Nano Gas" or HNG. It sounds like their PR guys got Michael Crichton and JJ Abrams drunk in a brainstorming session for pseudo-scientific names.
But hold on, this is the best part. :
Splitting water (H20) is a known science. But the energy costs to perform splitting outweigh the energy created from hydrogen when the Hydrogen is split from the water molecule H2O.
This is where mainstream science usually closes the book on the subject.
We took a different approach by postulating that we could split water in an energy efficient way to extract a high yield of Hydrogen at very low cost.
A specific low energy pulse is put into water. The water molecules line up in a certain structure and are split from the Hydrogen molecules.
The result is HNG.
HNG is packed with ‘Exotic Hydrogen’
Exotic Hydrogen is a recent scientific discovery.
HNG carries an abundance of Exotic Hydrogen and Oxygen.
On a Molecular level, HNG is a specific ratio mix of Hydrogen and Oxygen.
The unique qualities of HNG show that the placement of its’ charged electrons turns HNG into an abundant source of exotic Hydrogen.
HNG displays some very different properties from normal hydrogen.
Some basic facts:
- HNG instantly neutralizes carbon fuel pollution emissions
- HNG can be pressurized up to 2 bars.
- HNG combusts at a rate of 9000 meters per second while normal Hydrogen combusts at a rate 600 meters per second.
- Oxygen values actually increase when HNG is inserted into a diesel flame.
- HNG acts like a vortex on fossil fuel emissions causing the flame to be pulled into the center thus concentrating the heat and combustion properties.
- HNG is stored in canisters, arrayed around the emission outlet channels. HNG is injected into the outlets to safely & effectively clean up the burning of fossil fuels.
- The pollution emissions are neutralized instantly & safely with no residual toxic cocktail or chemicals to manage after the HNG burning process is initiated.
Exotic Hyrdrogen! I love it. This is probably a component of the "red matter" in the Abrams Star Trek reboot. Honestly, someone please tell me this a joke, a honeypot for mindless environmental activist drones. What are the chemical reactions going on here? If CO2 is captured, what form does it take? How does a mixture of Hydrogen and Oxygen molecules in whatever state they are in do anything with heavy metals? None of this is on the website. On their "validation" page, they have big labels like "Horiba" that look like organizations thave somehow put their impremature on the study. In fact, they are just names of analytical equipment makers. It's like putting "IBM" in big print on your climate study because you ran your model on an IBM computer.
SCAM! Honestly, when you see an article written to attract investment that sounds sort of impressive to laymen but makes absolutely no sense to anyone who knows the smallest about of Chemistry or Physics, it is an investment scam.
But they seem to get a lot of positive press. In my search of Google, everything in the first ten pages or so are just uncritical republication of their press releases in environmental and business blogs. You actually have to go into the comments sections of these articles to find anyone willing to observe this is all total BS. If you want to totally understand why the global warming debate gets nowhere, watch commenter Michael at this link desperately try to hold onto his faith in HydroInfra while people who actually know things try to explain why this makes no sense.
Update: If you want an actual nano-material that absorbs various pollutants, this may be one.
Jens Fiederer:
My personal favorite is the bit about David Schilling: "David lives in Boston in close proximity to Boston University, Boston College, MIT, Harvard, Northeastern as well as Bostons leading companies and labs. You can also find David on Google+."
November 11, 2014, 10:18 amArrian:
I like how this:
"HydroInfra Technologies was created when Sven Erik, a leading engineer at Volvo met Professor Yuan Tseh Lee at a Noble Prize ceremony, in which Professor Lee had been awarded a Nobel Prize for his research into the reactions between hydrogen atoms and diatomic alkali. Inspired by Pressor Lee’s discoveries, Sven crated his company to explore practical applications for reducing air and water pollution. The result was Hydro Nano Gas."
Transforms into this in the comments of the article you posted:
"And your credentials are? Probably insignificant compared to Nobel prize winners..."
As far as I can tell, a Volvo engineer met a Nobel laureate and was inspired. From Lee's Wiki entry, " Lee's particular Physical chemistry work was related to the use of advanced chemical kinetics techniques to investigate and manipulate the behavior of _chemical reactions for relative large molecules_ using crossed molecular beams." And "understand the dependence of chemical reactivity on molecular orientation."
That sort of leaves out hydrogen to begin with. But then, I'm no chemist.
November 11, 2014, 10:50 amSteve Merryman:
"This is where mainstream science usually closes the book on the subject."
That's where I my scam radar went off.
"HNG is packed with ‘Exotic Hydrogen’"
And that's where I laughed out loud. Exotic Hydrogen! It's packed with Anti-Oxidants!
November 11, 2014, 10:54 amIncunabulum:
"On a Molecular level, HNG is a specific ratio mix of Hydrogen and Oxygen."
November 11, 2014, 1:01 pmI'm sure it is, let me guess - the ratio is 2 'exotic' hydrogen atoms to one oxygen?
Incunabulum:
And wouldn't this
"HNG is packed with ‘Exotic Hydrogen’"
make this
"The unique qualities of HNG show that the placement of its’ charged
electrons turns HNG into an abundant source of exotic Hydrogen."
A tautology.
I mean you're saying that the electron structure of exotic hydrogen ensures that HNG (which is *made* of exotic hydrogen) has exotic hydrogen.
It always puzzles me - lots of these quacks have legitimate engineering degrees. Some have even worked for fairly reputable organizations (like NASA and JPL). Were they actually any *good* when they were working in their field?
November 11, 2014, 1:06 pmJKB:
I'm still trying to envision how 'exotic' hydrogen keeps her thong from slipping.
November 11, 2014, 3:13 pmSam L.:
Having majorered in Physics, and only having had two (2) Chemistry classes, my initial thought was "The Horrors of DiHydrogen Oxide (aka Hydrogen Hydroxide) and was glad to find something NEW and FUNNY! Thanks for the laughs!
November 11, 2014, 3:32 pmHenryBowman419:
Sounds like another Reese River Steamship scam to me. For those who don't know, the Reese River is a small river in Nevada that is often dry and never navigable. This did not stop enterprising souls in the 19th century from selling stock certificates in the Reese River Steamship Company, a company which claimed it would transport gold and silver (mostly silver) mined in the Toyabe Range to the railroad in Battle Mountain. Nevada, via steamship.
After selling a lot of shares, the principals of the company departed for South America. I suspect the Swedish folks might do something similar.
November 11, 2014, 7:36 pmNot Sure:
"Exotic Hydrogen! It's packed with Anti-Oxidants!"
November 11, 2014, 8:20 pmNot only that, it's got electrolytes, too. That's what plants crave.
wildsky:
Micheal is a plant for the company. Sounds like coyote has been fooled if he thinks Micheal is not part of the scam
November 12, 2014, 12:35 amAndrew Farriet:
Is everyone completely overlooking the fact that they have been invited to several Green Conferences where Government Agencies attend. Why would they take a scam to something as big as this and then somehow demonstrate it working in front of a live audience. If they are a scam why do they have one of the top CEO's in America in John Sheptor as their face of their US ops? Can anybody actually coherently answer this or are we going to just bag this right off the bat, because it hasn't been done before?
November 12, 2014, 1:36 amFred_Z:
I love it.
It is immoral to let a sucker keep his money.
November 12, 2014, 6:47 amMercury:
Since when are Green Conferences or government agencies adverse to promoting, leveraging
or beating you over the head with scams?
If someone had actually achieved a Nobel Prize worthy breakthrough in clean energy they sure as hell wouldn’t have to solicit investment capital via a direct marketing, email campaign.
November 12, 2014, 7:10 amNL7:
On first skim, I thought they were rebranding electrolysis and hydrogen fuel cells. On second look, I suspected they were basically talking about a fancy way to douse pollutants in a water filtration system (i.e. spraying H and O to make water). But their descriptions don't really sound like either of those. Are they suggesting that a hydrogen-fueled flame will incinerate the pollutants? I don't know what "clean up" and "neutralize" mean in the context of subjecting emissions to a super-hot flame.
November 12, 2014, 8:55 amMike Powers:
This sounds like "spiralised water" or "magnetised water", a quack concept that comes up every so often. The general idea is that you "align" water molecules, usually by running them past a magnet or through a funny-shaped glass, and that this alignment somehow causes the water molecules to have magic properties. The old standards "purging toxins" and "boosting the immune system" usually show up in the description of its effects.
November 12, 2014, 9:05 ambigmaq1980:
Penn and Teller - environmentalists signing petition banning Dihydrogen Monoxide.
November 12, 2014, 9:22 amhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yi3erdgVVTw
skhpcola:
Elemental hydrogen and oxygen aren't "molecules," they exist as atoms. If this Scandi can't get the simple crap correct, there's a fine chance that the rest of it is BS, too.
November 12, 2014, 9:46 amMNHawk:
If a scam artist walks into a room full of American Poli Sci types, and gives this exact presentation on powerpoint slides, he walks out with a $500 million government subsidy.
November 12, 2014, 10:38 amMNHawk:
I think it's being bagged because of something called basic high school level chemistry.
Government Agencies and green types not being versed in such.
November 12, 2014, 10:40 amAndrew Farriet:
So are you saying that the prevailing rules about Chemistry that we have been taught in school and thereafter are not subject to review, scrutiny and change? You all sound like you know what you are talking about, I hope you are all 100% sure that these rules that all of you seem to know so much about cannot be circumvented. If that had been the attitude over the ages we would not have had any progression scientifically or culturally. What a bunch of closed minded people you are.
November 12, 2014, 12:41 pmMNHawk:
Either you're the scammer himself (ironic the website lists no principals) or you are an intended victim.
What a bunch of morons that fall for these scams.
November 12, 2014, 1:02 pmAndrew Farriet:
Typical, could not even address what i was saying, i'm afraid it's you that's the moron. If the world was full of close minded numpty's like you, we would still be stuck in the dark ages. Yep you're onto me, i'm the scammer!
November 12, 2014, 2:00 pmsjutte350:
Okay, smart guy. Show your work, then.
It should be pretty simple to provide the equations showing how this works. If it's patented, they have nothing to fear in losing the technology. Or, hell, just give us a diagram of "exotic hydrogen". It's really that simple.
The fact is, chemistry doesn't work based on hope and good feelings. There are absolute iron laws in chemistry that cannot be violated.
In short, this cannot work. It's not a matter of waiting for them to "prove" it. This is physically impossible. Their chemical equation relies on being able to "eliminate" or destroy carbon atoms, and that is just simply not possible.
The carbon has to go somewhere. If it isn't into CO2, it will be in hydrocarbons. That's just how combustion works.
The more efficient your burn, the les hydrocarbons and the more Co2 (and the more NOx, while you're at it).
Also, how can hydrogen do anything to eliminate heavy metals?
November 12, 2014, 2:43 pmDEisenhower:
Here is the physics, or lack of any, on this quackery. http://goodmath.scientopia.org/2011/12/29/hydrinos-impressive-free-energy-crackpottery/
November 13, 2014, 12:35 pmAndrew Farriet:
Its not my work you arrogant clown, back in the day you would have been in the group of idiots who laughed at someone when they said the world is round, or that earth isnt the centre of the universe. Egghead muppets like you that think they know everything. How do you know the laws in Chemistry cannot be violated or circumvented, are you 100% sure that they never will be in the future? You make your arrogant conclusion without even knowing the tech and processes involved and you talk as if we know everything about Chemistry that there is to know. If you had the discovery of the century, would you be showing everyone and sundry before you got it on the market. Thank the lord the world is not filled with people of your limited thinking, otherwise we would have said, ''its impossible to craft anything better than these stone tools, lets just leave it at that''.
November 13, 2014, 2:24 pmsjutte350:
None so blind as those who choose not to see.
The laws of physics and chemistry are not negotiable. No matter how much you really, really believe.
November 13, 2014, 6:38 pmAndrew Farriet:
You did not answer my question, are you 100% sure that these laws will not be reviewed and revised in the future? Though i dont expect you could admit you dont know everything. This applies to you quite nicely i would think ''Knowledge makes people humble, arrogance makes people ignorant'' You havent even researched one iota, and you've written it off... pathetic.
November 13, 2014, 8:25 pmMike:
Found this on youtube looks like it might be doing something
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G_eCUDYBUXg
February 16, 2015, 1:40 amRyan:
This technology is taken a lot of R&D, and that needs a lot of funding
Commercial stage is beginning this year, believe it or not, its true, so you better dont get left behind
There is absolutely no proof of scam and I myself have verified every proof theyve provided its true
A world patent is pending thats why theres no more detail released, dont be fools
March 2, 2015, 8:49 amJaiho:
Hydroinfra Technologies Sweden is launched Globally on 12 March 2015 at World Green Energy Symposium (WGES), Washington. Here is the official press release of WGES: http://www.newswire.com/press-release/30-top-experts-from-across-nation-globe-present-vantage-point
March 25, 2015, 12:03 amStephen Muires:
HNG is not a scam. But I guess it can be taken as a compliment that so many commenters here think so.
April 23, 2016, 6:41 amStephen Muires:
Exactly. When Forrest Gump invested in Apple he thought it was a fruit company. We don't have to understand the physics (which is not available information anyway) in order to like an idea or an invention like HNG. The premise is terrific: as humans we burn fossil fuels like coal and oil and this creates pollution. HNG inserts into the burning process and cleans up the pollution before it becomes pollution. What's not to like?
April 23, 2016, 6:47 am