Hydrogen Basics
In many ways, hydrogen is the perfect fuel. It is the cleanest burning and the most efficient. Hydrogen can produce electricity, and electricity can produce hydrogen, creating an energy loop that is renewable and harmless to the environment. Hydrogen combines chemically with most elements, so it has been utilized as an industrial chemical in a wide range of applications for many years. In vehicles, hydrogen is being used to produce electricity that powers a motor by combining it with oxygen in a fuel cell.
How is hydrogen produced?
- A process called steam-methane reforming is the most common method for producing hydrogen. Natural gas or methane are reacted with steam to produce hydrogen.
- Electrolysis produces hydrogen by using an electrical current to separate water into hydrogen and oxygen.
- Waste gas purification separates hydrogen from waste streams in industrial processes through special purification processes.
Did You Know...
A gaseous hydrogen "spill" diffuses immediately into the air, and does not pollute the ground or groundwater.
How has hydrogen been used?
- Hydrogen is used daily as a gas and liquid by many industries, including the petroleum industry and in manufacturing processes for producing chemicals, foods and electronics.
- Towngas, a fuel used in the early part of the 20th century, was 50% hydrogen.
- Hydrogen is used as a fuel for various space programs, including the NASA space shuttle.
Why is hydrogen the cleanest fuel?
Unlike carbon-based fuels, hydrogen produces no harmful byproducts upon combustion. Only power, heat and clean water are produced when hydrogen is combined with oxygen in a fuel cell.