Hydrogen Production and Storage

Report Summary (Hydrogen Production and Storage)
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Report Summary (Hydrogen Production and Storage)
Several technologies have been utilized in the production of hydrogen. The oldest is water electrolysis which has been used since the 1920s (Riis et al., 2006). However, fossil feedstock is the most common method of modern production of hydrogen. The fossil fuels primarily utilized in this production are coal and natural gas. There are three different chemical methods used to extract hydrogen from natural gas. These are steam reforming, autothermal reforming, and partial oxidation. For production from coal, the most common method is to react carbon with water in an environment of high temperatures. The products of this reaction are carbon monoxide and hydrogen. Since the production of hydrogen from fossil fuels leads to the production of carbon dioxide, measures have been put in place to ensure that this gas is not released into the environment. These measures are referred to as decarbonization.
Several methodologies are used in obtaining hydrogen from water. The first is water electrolysis which involves breaking down water into hydrogen and oxygen via the application of electrical energy. The second is alkaline electrolysis which involves the use of aqueous potassium hydroxide to create an ionizing environment. Hydrogen ions gain electrons at the cathode giving rise to hydrogen gas. Other methods include polymer electrolyte membrane, high-temperature electrolysis, photo electrolysis (also referred to as photolysis), photo-biological production, thermos-chemical splitting of water, and high-temperature decomposition.
Production from biomass is another probable way of producing hydrogen. However, this method is not used in commercial production and is one of the areas where research and devel...