Alternative Methods for Producing Hydrogen
As I search across the Internet and especially the blogosphere, I see many critics of the hydrogen economy stating that hydrogen is generally produced by simple electrolysis of water and this method takes too much energy for hydrogen to be competitive in the marketplace. Most of the time, this is taken by others as fact, especially by those who are not forward thinkers.
For the critics stuck in the here and now with no eye towards the future, the hydrogen economy doesn’t make sense. But, for those who like to look forward to the future of clean energy, I have put together a short list of research that is currently being worked on in the hydrogen production area, from which I’ve already talked about in past posts.
Current Research on Producing Hydrogen
1. Direct solar to hydrogen
2. Hydrogen-on-demand technology using sodium borohydride, phosphonium borate, magnesium, gallium or aluminum compounds
3. Nuclear cracking of water into hydrogen
4. Biomass using pyrolysis or gasification of waste grease and plastics
5. Renewable electrolysis methods including solar, wind, geothermal and hydropower
6. Water splitting using microbes, bacteria and algae methods to create hydrogen including waste from farms, grape juice companies, candy factories, restaurants, beer makers and sewage treatment plants
7. Using X-rays upon ice
8. Using radio waves upon seawater
9. Clean coal to hydrogen ala FutureGen and other research
10. Using corn, switchgrass and other plant life to create hydrogen renewably
11. Tapping into water energy such as tidal energy and wave power
12. Using ships with wind turbines such as those being developed by Windhunters
13. Using high altitude wind energy including tethered rotorcraft and kites
14. Micro hydroelectric water turbines on rivers and mountain streams
15. Cheap electrolysis such as from General Electric’s Noryl catalyst
In the here and now, steam reforming of natural gas is actually the most common method of hydrogen production. The idea behind all of the research previously stated, however is to replace this method of production with more environmentally friendly and less energy intensive methods.
Critics argue that a hydrogen-based economy doesn’t make sense now. But, that’s like people in the 1950’s arguing that there would never be a man on the moon. Given the current technology of course not. Given a few years of research and development, however, the world as we know it now will never be the same.
Filed under: Hydrogen Production
At the National Hydrogen Association, we witness first-hand the effort to find long-term solutions to produce hydrogen. While progress has been made, what this list illustrates is the flexibility hydrogen offers in terms of production. The long-term goal is to produce hydrogen from renewable resources, using alternative energies like wind and solar to capitalize on hydrogen in its purest form, where water is the by product.
In the short term, using natural gas and coal with carbon sequestration will reduce carbon emissions, and reduce our dependency on foreign energy imports. The U.S. has the largest estimated recoverable reserves of coal, 273 billion tons, possessing 27 percent of the world’s reserves. When hydrogen is extracted from coal using a gasification process, carbon is naturally released. However, when carbon emissions are sequestered those emissions are brought down to almost none.
Using natural gas in the short-term presents advantages as well. An estimated 2 percent increase in natural gas production would provide enough hydrogen to fuel 10 million fuel cell vehicles, while reducing carbon emissions about 50 percent. Furthermore, 53 percent of all natural gas is currently used in the U.S in the production of gasoline already. By reducing gasoline production, the natural gas could then be used to produce hydrogen fuel.
In addition, using nuclear energy to produce hydrogen has great potential. Nuclear energy can produce high quality hydrogen in large quantities at a relatively low cost without any air emissions. Uranium is the main fuel for nuclear reactors, and is readily available. Compared to natural gas or coal, uranium is low in cost, and the cost of nuclear electricity is less sensitive to its price fluctuations. One uranium fuel pellet, about the size of the tip of your little finger, has the equivalent energy potential of 17,000 cubic feet of natural gas, 1,780 pounds of coal, or 149 gallons of oil.
Even though each method of production is has its own benefits and drawbacks, they all can help to make the transition to a hydrogen economy. The ultimate benefits of moving towards a hydrogen economy are to reduce our energy costs, improve our environmental outlook by reducing carbon emissions, and become more energy independent to improve national security.
For additional information about hydrogen production, please visit the National Hydrogen Association website at http://www.hydrogenassociation.org, the premier source for information on hydrogen and hydrogen technologies.