Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
Also, steam-methane reforming is about 65 to 75 percent
energy eficient, which is considered a high percentage.
“Energy eficiency” is deined as the amount of useful energy
you get from a system. In other words, even though it takes
energy to make hydrogen fuel, it does not take so much energy
that it is not worth doing in the irst place. In addition, the
United States has at least a 60-year supply of natural gas—and
possibly much more—so natural gas is a good short-term
resource from which to make hydrogen
fuel while work goes on to improve
other methods of getting the fuel.
An important disadvantage to using
steam-methane reforming is that it
is expensive to set up and take care
of the factories needed. The process
uses expensive equipment that must
be kept in top running condition at all
times. In addition, something must be
done to prevent the carbon dioxide
that is produced during the process
from entering the atmosphere.
Hydrogen from Electrolysis
The process called electrolysis uses
an electric current in water to cause a
chemical reaction. This reaction splits
the water molecules into hydrogen
and oxygen. The process needs
energy—in the form of electricity—to
make the hydrogen fuel. The electricity
During electrolysis, an electric
current causes water molecules to
separate into hydrogen and oxygen.
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