How do you separate hydrogen atoms from water and use the hydrogen for a fuel cell?

Question

How do you separate hydrogen atoms from water and use the hydrogen for a fuel cell?

Answer 1

hydrolysis or electrolysis same thing basically. pass a current though water preferably salt water as pure water will not conduct electricity. problem efficiency will destroy any chance of this being a viable fuel source. depending how its calculated between 10% and 80%. better off with batterys and a renewable charging source like wind and solor.

I have 3 small verticle windmills on my garage that produce 30kw and want to install 2 more and i have an average amount of wind same as everywhere else and there bird friendly. If everyone had these there would be no need for oil or coal.

Answer 2

You separate water into hydrogen and oxygen by passing electricity from another source through the water. Then you just put the hydrogen and oxygen in a fuel cell which combines them back into water and makes electricity.

You didn't ask how a fuel cell works so I won't go into that.

Basically, it takes as much electricity to make the hydrogen from water as you get from using that hydrogen in a fuel cell, so it is not an energy source. It is more like a rechargeable battery. It is a way to store electricity in chemical form.

Answer 3

Start with a reversible fuel cell, add distilled water, add a DC electric voltage (preferably from a renewable source), hook a hose to each side with tanks on the end to capture the hydrogen and oxygen released, let the system be until the tanks are filled.

If you then remove the DC voltage source and put say a motor or other electric load device to the leads off the fuel cell, electrons will rush through the electric device and the hydrogen and oxygen will flow into the fuel cell.

Answer 4

There are 2 main ways. Using electrolysis like when you charge your car battery, it gives off H2 gas. (Always be careful around batteries. Can get an explosion from Hydrogen). The other way is strip it using heat and chemicals in a chemical processing plant.

The first method takes a lot of electrical energy and the 2nd one takes a lot of chemicals and energy from Gas and/or oil. It takes a lot of power just to make H2.

Answer 5

The most cost effective method is to react the water with a hydrocarbon (typically methane) in a process known as steam reforming.  This removes hydrogen from both the water molecule and the hydrocarbon molecule.  Steam reforming is currently the preferred method for the commercial production of hydrogen.  Electrolysis simply cannot compete.

Answer 6

you crack it. some fission reaction splits the water molecule and releases the energy of the hydrogen in the molecule. the byproduct being only water vapor

Answer 7

tough one..

Answer 8

Easy

How to create hydrogen from water, salt and electricity for only a few dollars. This is an experiment that produces explosive gases, so please be careful!!!

Answer 9

If you run electricity through salt water, you get hydrogen bubbles on the negative rod and oxygen bubbles on the positive rod. You can collect this gas and run a car on it or a fuel cell.

When you do the process above (electrolysis), you lose about 40%-50% of the energy. Same is true when you turn it back into electricity in a fuel cell.

For example:

You run 3000 BTUs of electricity through salt water. You get 1500 BTUs of Hydrogen. You put that hydrogen into a fuel cell and you get 750 BTUs of electricity. So you lose a lot of energy with this process.

Answer 10

The hydrogen car is a smoke screen.  These aren't going to be availble for 10 more years (and I'm talking consumer purchasing - not Governors.)

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Answer 11

Separating hydrogen in water is simple. Put the ends of two wires in a tank and run electricity through the water from wire to wire. That is called electrolysis.

A fuel cell is simply a wall that air can move through slightly and can conduct electricity. Put hydrogen on one side, and oxygen on the other. When the hydrogen and oxygen combine they give off electricity. The wall keeps that reaction happening inside of the wall so it can absorb the heat and electricity given off. Water is the waste.

Answer 12

yep, electrolysis...current state of the art uses more electricity to separate out the hydrogen than is produced by the hydrogen made.....oh well

Answer 13

You can use heat from our nuclear power plants.  One needs about 700 degrees to break the bonds to produce hydrogen and oxygen.  This could even make Al Gore smile.

Answer 14

i do know that you can separate hydrogen by electrolysis,that is, passing current through water and the elements oxygen and hydrogen get separated;but i do not know how to use it for fuel cell.

Answer 15

All you need is salt water, and a battery charger. The oxygen comes up at the neg terminal and the hydrogen at the positive terminal. But you need to replace the water and power for the battery charger.

Answer 16

Water is separated into oxygen and hydrogen by electrolysis with a net loss in energy of about 15%. Then the hydrogen has to be compressed or liquefied for transportation - 15-20% loss. Even liquid hydrogen is very light, so transportation cost is high - 20-30%. Hydrogen has to be re-compressed a couple times before it reaches a fuel cell in a car - about 10% loss. A fuel uses the hydrogen along with oxygen form the air to produce electricity. It is about 40-45% efficient. Efficiency of the complete process is 17-23% efficient.

An excellent way to waste power.

A battery based system would be 75-80% efficient.

Answer 17

With electricity.  You probably have seen this experiment in high school chemistry.  If one uses an offshore or coastal electric plant, they can use wave action, solar panels and even wind-operated generators to create the energy.