Byproducts as a Source for Hydrogen Fuel for Cars

Many countries in the world are seriously thinking how to make their economies use more hydrogen. People are convinced that a new energy source is necessary not only because oil is expensive but because it harms the environment. Therefore, hydrogen is one of the most promising fuels but producing hydrogen fuel for cars is not that easy. The problem with hydrogen fuel for cars is not the lack of hydrogen.

On the contrary, a large fraction of the Earth's atmosphere is made of hydrogen but it cannot be used directly from there. Instead, it must be extracted first. This is done via steam reforming and water electrolysis. Steam reforming and water electrolysis cannot produce enough hydrogen to power homes and cars. That is why scientists and researchers are constantly trying to invent new and improve the existing methods for hydrogen extraction in order to respond to the growing demands of the market.

At present, hydrogen fuel for cars and other uses comes from renewable sources such as solar and hydroelectric energy, ethanol, biomass, winds, tides, etc. Gravitation is also another possible source. One of the exciting opportunities at present is capturing hydrogen byproducts. Many chemical reactions have hydrogen as a byproduct, so why not capture it as a hydrogen fuel for cars. Clean coal is also explored because the process gives off hydrogen, which can be captured and sold to hydrogen facilities.

If this happens, the amount of fume emissions will be substantially reduced. When sodium chlorate is produced, hydrogen is one of the byproducts of the process. Pesticides and bleaches need sodium chlorate, which means that their production will release quite a lot of hydrogen, which can be used as a hydrogen fuel for cars. At present Canada is experimenting with hydrogen technology and 20,000 vehicles a year can be powered by the hydrogen, which is obtained as a byproduct.

The 2010 Olympics, which will take place in Canada, will be a showroom for hydrogen technology. The steam from nuclear reactors is another potential source of hydrogen fuel for cars. There are several US departments and laboratories, which are researching the possibility to use the steam to cool the reactor and after that extract the hydrogen via electrolysis. Actually, the transition to the hydrogen economy is not that difficult.

The existing hydrogen resources and technologies can be developed further to respond to the demands for hydrogen. Most likely, when the technologies for hydrogen production are improved and with the joint efforts of institutions and governments, the hydrogen economy will come into being. Using hydrogen fuel for cars and for other uses on a daily basis is a win-win situation for all the parties involved in the process.

If you are a responsible citizen and want to help your country and the planet, study the options you have to use hydrogen fuel for cars. Converting your car to use hydrogen is easy and the feeling, when you are driving on hydrogen, is completely different. Additionally, when you run on hydrogen, this will reduce your gas expenses. You can spend the money you will save after you start using hydrogen fuel for cars in many ways.

One of them is to keep it and buy a real hydrogen powered car when they become available. This is cute and it will help the environment, too. I hope that researchers and scientists will be lucky in their endeavors to use hydrogen byproducts as sources of hydrogen fuel for cars. When new methods for hydrogen production are developed, this will lead to more hydrogen for use at home or on the road. For the benefit of the whole humankind, hydrogen fuel for cars is vital.


Martin Applebaum

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