Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
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13
The Hydrogen Industry and
Fuel Cells
Generations of schoolchildren have been entertained by the oxyhydrogen reactions
in chemistry class. When hydrogen is oxidized by oxygen from the air, the hydrogen
gas explosively releases its stored energy. A spark is enough to ignite a mixture of
hydrogen and normal air. In contrast to many other combustion processes, however,
the reaction product is absolutely harmless from an environmental point of view.
Hydrogen and oxygen simply react to pure water.
The proportion of electricity used in supplying energy is increasing all the time.
Fuel cells can generate the much sought-after electric power from hydrogen. The
only waste created is water. It is no wonder that the many people with a vision of
a global hydrogen economy see it as the solution to our current climate problems.
Hydrogen as a single energy source could at the same time help us to get rid of air
pollution, acid rain and other environmental problems caused by the use of energy.
Jules Verne saw the potential of hydrogen as early as 1874, and the question is why
a thriving hydrogen industry has not already developed. The answer is simple:
hydrogen does not occur in a pure form in nature. Energy and a complex technical
process are needed before it can be burnt again. This makes hydrogen expensive,
and some production processes involved even create high greenhouse emissions.
But even though a hydrogen industry is still only on the drawing board, and in the
long term would certainly never satisfy total energy demand, it is still an interesting
alternative energy source for some areas of application.
Jules Verne (1828-1905): 'The Mysterious Island'
'And what will they burn instead of coal?' asked Pencroft. 'Water,' replied
Harding. 'I believe that water will one day be employed as fuel, that hydrogen
and oxygen which constitute it, used singly or together, will furnish an inex-
haustible source of heat and light, of an intensity of which coal is not capable.
Water will be the coal of the future.'
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