Better Gas Mileage

Hydrogen is the most abundant chemical element on the planet. It is found in water and almost every other natural material and in every living thing. Algae, plants, and composting material are all rich sources of hydrogen. The abundance of hydrogen means that it is viewed as a potential source of fuel for many man-made machines. For instance, hydrogen gas fuel can theoretically replace fossil fuels in most of their uses without being concerned with depleting the resource considerably. Separating hydrogen from its chemical bond to these elements produces hydrogen gas fuel. Heat and water are the only emissions produced when mixing this purest form of hydrogen gas fuel with pure oxygen and igniting it, which is as environmentally friendly as you can get.

There are benefits and drawbacks to each method of extracting hydrogen. Some methods create harmful emissions during refining, and some means of production are less costly than others. The steam methane reforming method is the one most widely used in the United States at present, and it works by heating natural gas to specific temperatures so that hydrogen can be separated from the rest of the natural gas.

It will take quite a lot of capital to establish the infrastructure required to make hydrogen gas fuel on a scale to satisfy a large part of the world’s energy needs. Hydrogen can be separated from water through electrolysis, a process which passes an electric current through the water. Using electricity produced from windmills, solar panels, or other sources will allow hydrogen generation on a much larger and environmentally-friendly scale. Choosing a location for a hydrogen production facility raises geographic concerns. Because there are no greenhouse gas emissions in producing hydrogen gas fuel, the electrolysis method is worth the investment.

Hydrogen is an extremely flexible fuel as it can be stored and transported in both liquid and gas forms. Hydrogen gas fuel can be transported in its vapor form roughly one to two hundred miles from the refining facility. For long distance transport up to one thousand miles the hydrogen is transported in liquid form requiring specially designed super-insulated tanks.

Hydrogen gas fuel has the greatest energy to weight ratio of all known and commercially available fuels. When compared to gasoline, hydrogen gas fuel produces roughly three times the amount of energy we obtain from gasoline (with no carbon dioxide or sulfur emissions) and over six times the amount of energy we obtain from coal.

Hydrogen gas has much better and more efficient combustion through a larger range of air fuel mixtures than gasoline. Hydrogen gas fuel has an octane rating of 130 and this is higher than the highest octane gasoline available at present at the gas station.

Hydrogen gas fuel could help us power nearly anything - from large cities to cellular phones, moped to rocket ships while still being eco-friendly. Transport vehicles can be designed to run on hydrogen gas fuel or retrofitted to be able to use it. As gasoline prices continue to rise, we will soon see if hydrogen gas fuel will be a workable replacement for gasoline. Provided the right structures can be set in place and continued research continues apace, it may be the solution to creating an abundant and environmentally fuel.

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