Hydrogen fuel, a carbon-neutral alternative, reacts with oxygen to generate energy, given its production also adheres to zero-carbon methods. It can be utilized in fuel cells or internal combustion engines, making it an essential component in the drive towards decarbonization.
Hydrogen has found its way into commercial fuel cell vehicles, including passenger cars and buses, and plays a significant role in spacecraft propulsion. However, the large scale production of hydrogen, which doesn't naturally occur in substantial quantities on Earth, requires a primary energy source.
Historically, hydrogen fuel has been produced from methane or through the process of water electrolysis. As of 2020, the bulk of hydrogen production (~95%) comes from fossil fuels using steam reforming or partial oxidation of methane and coal gasification. A smaller fraction of hydrogen is produced through other methods such as biomass gasification or water electrolysis.
Steam-methane reforming, the leading technology for large-scale hydrogen production, extracts hydrogen from methane. Unfortunately, this process releases greenhouse gases, contributing to climate change.
In the electrolysis method, electricity separates the hydrogen and oxygen atoms in water. Various energy sources can power this process, including wind, solar, geothermal, hydro, fossil fuels, biomass, nuclear, among others.
Hydrogen, being the lightest and first element on the periodic table, is lighter than air, causing it to rise in the atmosphere, making it scarce in its pure form, H2.
In a pure hydrogen gas flame, hydrogen (H2) reacts with oxygen (O2) to form water (H2O) and release energy. In the usual atmospheric air, hydrogen combustion may produce minor amounts of nitrogen oxides, alongside water vapor.
Hydrogen's energy release capability allows it to function as a fuel. In an electrochemical cell, it can be utilized with relatively high efficiency. However, despite hydrogen's high energy content per unit mass, at room temperature and atmospheric pressure, it has low energy content per unit volume compared to liquid fuels or natural gas. Therefore, it is typically compressed or liquefied by lowering its temperature to less than 33 K.
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