Hydrogen Energy

Hydrogen is the simplest and most abundant element in the universe. Stars such as the sun primarily consist of hydrogen-the sun is essentially a giant ball of hydrogen and helium gas. Today, hydrogen is emerging as an important source of energy, and a replacement for fossil fuels, to meet the world's ever-growing demand for energy.

History

Hydrogen energy was discovered in 1671 by Robert Boyle. In 1776, a British scientist named Henry Cavendish noticed that hydrogen is very flammable. Specifically, it quickly and violently undergoes a combustion reaction with oxygen.

2H₂ + O₂ → 2H₂O + heat

Hydrogen and oxygen molecules combine to form water. This reaction is exothermic, which means it generates heat energy.

Cavendish also noticed that hydrogen is quite a light gas and could lift things. Eventually, people started filling massive balloons with hydrogen and flew in them. These were called blimps and were relatively short-lived as hydrogen was highly flammable and could cause much damage.

The Process

Hydrogen is usually produced by separating it from other compounds such as methane (CH4). One way of doing this is steam reform. Commercial hydrogen producers and petroleum refineries use steam-methane reforming to separate hydrogen atoms from carbon atoms in methane (CH4). The steam reforming process results in some carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions.