Using Hydrogen Fuel as the Main Fuel in the Future

Using Hydrogen as the Main Fuel in the Future

Introduction        

Why Do People Use Hydrogen Fuel?        

Nowadays, the amounts of the fossil fuels in the world are very limited due to its continuous uses. Thus, it is predicted that the world’s fossil fuels will be all used up decades from now. For that reason, people are looking for some alternative energy sources that can be used to replace the fossil fuel. Furthermore, with further research and development, we can also use the alternative energy sources as the main fuel in the future, in hope they will be more environmentally friendly and will not ever be used up. There are actually plenty of energy sources that can replace the fossil fuels. Most countries have started to replace petroleum-based combustion engines with some alternative energy sources, such as solar power, ethanol, wind energy, and other biofuels.

Hydrogen is also an example of alternative energy sources. Although hydrogen’s presences are always combined with other elements, hydrogen is actually the most plentiful element in the universe. In fact, it is found in many organic compounds, such as the hydrocarbons that are the raw materials of our fuels. Hydrogen can be separated from the hydrocarbon by a process called reforming, by applying heat on the hydrocarbon.

Another way to obtain hydrogen is to separate water (H2O), into oxygen and hydrogen, through a process called electrolysis, where an electric current is being passed through the water. The hydrogen ion will then be discharged at the cathode, and the oxygen will be discharged at the anode. The sum of hydrogen produced will be twice the number of oxygen produced.  

The idea of using hydrogen as a replacement of the fossil fuel is actually still new; therefore, a lot more research on methods to obtain hydrogen are needed in order to produce more yields.

History of Fuel Cell

A fuel cell combines oxygen and hydrogen to produce electricity, heat and water. In this case, hydrogen acts as the fuel, and pure hydrogen is more recommended. Therefore, a fuel cell is mainly used as the source of heat and electricity for buildings and in various types of motor vehicles.

The theory of the fuel cell effect was first discovered by a Swiss chemist, Christian Friedrich Schoenbein in 1839. Later in 1845, an English scientist, Sir William Grove demonstrated Schoenbein’s discovery on a practical scale by creating a gas battery, and earned the title “Father of the Fuel Cell”.

In the 1920s, the idea of using hydrogen as a fuel were first introduced by a British scientist, J.B.S. Haldane, through his research paper called “Science and the Future”.

In the 1959, Francis T. Bacon of Cambridge University built the first practical hydrogen-air fuel cell, called “The Bacon Cell”, which has greatly affected the development of the fuel cell. In addition, the very first hydrogen fuel vehicle, a 20–horsepower tractor, was also introduced in 1959, by Harry Karl Ihrig.