Fossil fuels are powering the world for the past 273 years on a commercial scale. And in the current rate of depletion, it could approximately last for the next 70 years. But, the world isn’t much worried about the next generation of fuel as Earth is already gliding towards tapping renewable energies. Although those renewable sources can fuel our needs, they could not satisfy energy-hungry humans. This raises the demand to develop a high-performance and efficient source of energy which must also fall in the renewable and no-polluting category.
A complex solution was found in the simplest form of energy.
Hydrogen
Hydrogen is the lightest element but the most abundant chemical substance in the universe. Remarkably, hydrogen is colourless, odourless, tasteless, non-toxic, non-metallic, highly combustible diatomic gas. Although abundant, it doesn’t exist alone naturally. It is usually combined with other elements and requires to undergo special processes for separation. It’s also a big challenge to obtain it in its purest form. While commercial harnessing isn’t completely developed and seems to be a challenge, Why is the world in pursuit of hydrogen?
The reason is
Hydrogen is a renewable, non-polluting, zero-emission source of fuel.
With the possible exhaustion of fossil fuels in the near future and commitment by world nations to limit the global temperature, Hydrogen tends to be the efficient reliable fuel source.
The pursuit of hydrogen energy began in 1776 by the British Scientist Henry Cavendish during his demonstration. As he introduced a spark to the hydrogen gas it produced water. Thus began the developmental study on hydrogen and today it is being used as fuel for cars, electric systems and also in the production of pure water. Although large-scale fuel generation is still under development, studies give hope for better efficient hydrogen fuel extraction.
Hydrogen power generation is a long-run process beginning with the separation of hydrogen independently.
Hydrogen Production
Hydrogen can be produced using diverse resources such as fossil fuels, nuclear energy and renewable energies such as wind, solar, biomass and hydro-electric power through a range of processes.
Thermochemical Process: Energy in fossil fuels such as coal, natural gas or biomass can be thermally processed to release hydrogen from their molecular structure. In other processes, heat with the combination of closed chemical cycles can be employed to produce hydrogen from raw materials.
Electrolysis: Electrolysis is the greenest-ever pathway to produce hydrogen. Although the source of electricity comes into consideration, electrolysis is a promising option. This is a process that uses electricity to split hydrogen and oxygen from water.
Direct Solar Water Splitting Process: This process uses light energy to split water into hydrogen and oxygen. The process is in the early stages of development but express to be a reliable source in the long run without any environmental impact.
Photoelectrochemical
Photobiological
are the two solar water-splitting processes.
Biological Processes: Bacteria and microalgae are left to produce hydrogen through a biological process under the presence of sunlight and organic matter. The biological process is also in the early stage of development but is capable of producing sustainable, low-carbon hydrogen.
Once hydrogen is extracted, it is used to fuel our needs through a battery medium. Here a different kind of battery is used, known as a fuel cell.
Fuel Cell
Fuel cells are a kind of battery but unlike them, they do not run out of charge or require recharging. They produce electricity and heat as long as fuel is supplied. The fuel could be the chemical energy of hydrogen or any other clean source. Fuel cells have a unique ability and potential in varied applications. They can be used to power large utility power stations to even a small mobile phone.
The working of a fuel cell
A fuel cell consists of two electrodes, a negatively charged anode and a positively charged cathode. The cell is filled with an electrolyte. As a fuel, here hydrogen is fed into the anode and air is fed to the cathode. On injection, the catalyst at the anode separates hydrogen into protons and electrons. These in turn take a different path to the cathode. The electrons pass through an external circuit creating a flow of electricity. The protons move through the electrolyte to the cathode, where they unite with oxygen and electrons to produce water and heat. Thus a flow of electricity is generated releasing non-pollutant water. This is how hydrogen is consumed as fuel by the fuel cell to generate energy.
Need for Research and Development
There isn’t a doubt of hydrogen is a boon to humanity, but no the current level of development tends to be costly and inadequate production. Necessary research is under process to enhance the efficiency of hydrogen and reduce the cost considerably. Various underlying factors such as performance, fuel cell durability, and compatibility of the fuel cell to various applications are studied deeply. In due course of time, the world will gradually shift to completely harness the benefits of the fuel cell.
Drafting a Hydrogen Mission and Policy
The fight against global warming and climate change would take a noticeable turn with the development of hydrogen on a commercial scale. It is high time for world governments to set policies and missions to adopt necessary advancements to commission hydrogen fuel technology.
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