Introduction to Hydrogen Gas Production
Hydrogen is not really an energy source but rather it is an energy carrier. This mean that hydrogen gas production must be done from one of the energy sources that we consider primary, such as fossil fuels, solar, wind, hydro, and other sources. All the energy that we use must be produced from one of these sources that include hydrogen gas production.
On this planet hydrogen is found within other elements. For instance with water it’s combined with oxygen, but in fossil fuels it’s combined with carbon such as in natural gas, coal, or petroleum. The biggest problem is that it must be separated from the other occurring compounds in a way that is both efficient and economical.
How to Produce Hydrogen Gas
When dealing with hydrogen gas production one needs to know how to do it effectively. One of the most well established and respected ways to do this is with steam reforming. This will allow the hydrogen that is in water and hydrocarbons to be produced and used. The steam methane reformation produces about ninety five percent of all the hydrogen that is used in the United Kingdom making this the most effective way that we have come up with to get hydrogen and be able to use it.
Electrolysis is yet another way that we can get hydrogen. This method applies electrical current in order to decompose water so that it becomes hydrogen and oxygen molecules. This method can be used to get hydrogen from three different sources.
Cost of Hydrogen Gas Production
Given how much we use hydrogen the cost of hydrogen gas production is a very important issue. If you use the steam reformation it costs about three times more than the cost of natural gas per unit of energy that is produced. This means that whatever natural gas costs you can multiple that by three and that is what hydrogen will be. If the way of electrolysis is used then it is roughly twice the cost of natural gas. This means that we must try to find more cost effective ways to get hydrogen.
Exploring Other Methods of Hydrogen Gas Production
With the rising costs of electricity and other forms of fuels it’s no wonder that people are concerned about finding ways to get fuels and do so in an environmentally friendly way. Researchers are currently working to see if there are other ways to increase hydrogen gas production without having to increase costs. Many people are wondering how long it will be before they try to figure out ways to easily extract this from the air, as some researchers believe that this is completely possible and are always trying new things. Hydrogen gas production is something that we are always researching and putting money into because we are truly starting to understand how important it is and we need to be focusing on making sure that we can do it in a cost effective way.
